


Koi no Yokan

by Masrrkan



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Breeding Kink, But that one will stay in the ship tag with everything else so sorry, Fluff, Implied and hinted Matsuoka Rin/Mikoshiba Momotarou, Knotting, Love at First Sight, M/M, Marking, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mentioned Mikoshiba Seijuurou/Matsuoka Gou, Mpreg, Omegaverse, Possessive Behavior, Rating will change as the story progresses, Romance, Scent Marking, Self-Lubrication, Smut, which will happen later in the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-25 20:51:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4976068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masrrkan/pseuds/Masrrkan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Koi no Yokan (恋の予感) - Feeling of Love.</p><p>Ai, an omega nearing the age of eighteen, must marry and mate with an alpha on his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! Hello! I got an anon on tumblr asking me if I considered writing omegaverse (which I totally have) and I conjured up this heaping pile of hot garbage! 
> 
> In case you're curious about the characters in this fic:  
> Ai - omega  
> Sousuke - alpha  
> Rin - alpha  
> Nagisa - omega  
> Haruka - omega  
> Rei - beta  
> Momo - beta  
> Makoto - alpha  
> Seijuurou - alpha  
> Gou - beta
> 
> ~  
> All omegas are required to be mated and married on their 18th birthday because (it's a tradition) they're at their most fertile at this age (which can attract unwanted attention, if you catch my drift).
> 
> Premarital sex is VERY frowned upon, and whoever takes an omega's virginity (regardless of who it is) must marry the omega to take responsibility for their actions (horrible, yes I know). This can have life-long lasting effects on their lives and can hard them financially and ruin their chances of having a job.
> 
> Parents of an omega (as well as a suitor, be it alpha or beta) will set up "meetings" to see how their potential mate acts and decide if they would be worth marrying. This involves both families sitting together and going over several important topics (such as whether they can provide, protect, and care for the omega).

"Aiichirou! Nagisa is here!" His mother called from the bottom of the steps, drying her hands on her frilly, white apron. "Did you forget you had plans today?" She asked as her son quickly padded down the stairs.

Ai shook his head and wrapped his scarf around his neck as he reached the foyer of their house. "Sorry, sorry! I was having trouble choosing what to wear today!" The boy laughed while he toed on his favorite pair of winter boots, black and stained with mud from years of use. He tugged a hat over his silvery hair, made from the same pelt that his scarf was. "Nagisa, were you waiting long?" He asked the blonde boy standing at his door.

"Nope, I just got here!" Nagisa giggled and played with the necklace around his neck; a gift from his beta husband, Rei. The shape was a butterfly, painted so beautifully and with such detail in purples and pinks that one would assume it was alive at first glance. "Ai-chan, Haru-chan is waiting for us at the lake, if you were curious." The omega spoke with an unwavering grin, magenta eyes sparkling.

"Ah! Okay, I was just wondering where he was, actually." Ai shrugged on a jacket and waved to his mother before he hopped out the front door with Nagisa in tow. "Will Makoto be there too?" He asked, cheeks immediately growing a light pink from the chill of the autumn air while they walked.

Nagisa quickly made a habit of stepping onto every dried up, crunchy leaf he came across while they walked down the dirt roads of the town. "Haru-chan managed to convince him to stay home, so it'll be just us three today!" He sang out, twirling around and making his unzipped jacket flare out with the wind.

Ai nodded and sighed contentedly. Autumn was his favorite time of year. The smells, the clothes, the colors, and the rainy nights relaxed him. He especially enjoyed the bonfires in the evening, where he would rest outside with his mother while sewing up pelts that his father had bought from the market.

However, at the end of autumn came winter, and that meant he needed to find a mate before his birthday.

It is customary for all omegas to be wed on the day of their eighteenth birthday, with no exceptions. Nagisa had married Rei, a beta, on his birthday, as did Haruka to Makoto, an alpha, on his. It was expected for Ai to have a suitor before the end of the season, and it was to be arranged by his parents.

The thought of potentially marrying a stranger stressed him out. Ai didn't want a husband who would keep him inside and away from the eyes of other alpha men. Ai wanted to be able to meet with his friends outside of home, to not be connected by the hip with his mate. He could deny as many requests as he liked, by at some point, he would have to choose one.

Ai sighed at the thoughts coming and going in his mind. He should be having fun! He was with Nagisa, for God's sake! Today was a relaxing day, not one spent sitting down and talking to the family of an alpha looking to mate!

"Ai-chan?" Nagisa waved a hand in front of his face and laughed when the omega's ice blue eyes snapped open and his face grew even redder from embarrassment. "You were spacing out, weren't you?" The blonde teased, poking Ai's flushed cheeks. "Well, we're here! Haru-chan brought food that Mako-chan made, so we gotta hurry up and eat some before Haru-chan takes it all!"

Ai watched as his fellow omega rushed up the small hill leading to where Haruka was sitting, book in hand. He laughed and followed slowly after his friend and taking a seat at the picnic table the two were seated at. "Good morning, Haruka." He greeted sweetly, and silently admired the beautifully decorated jacket the older man wore.

"Good morning." Haruka gave a faint smile, which made the corners of his eyes crinkle ever so slightly. He placed a marker in his book and set it aside to pull out a few of the sandwiches packed away into the wicker basket Nagisa was digging through.

The silvery haired omega did the same once all other hands had removed themselves from the basket. He hummed happily as he fished out two ham and Swiss sandwiches, along with a warm thermos of what he hoped would be Makoto's Famous Chicken Noodle Soup. Haruka then quickly set out three small, lacquer wood bowls to pour the soup into.

Ai handed the black haired omega the thermos and watched him pour the contents inside the bowls before capping it to keep the soup from cooling. "Thank you!" He chirped and took his bowl, sipping experimentally at the still-too-hot soup. At least it was chicken and noodles, the thought while unwrapping a sandwich.

"So, Ai-chan." Nagisa broke the silence finally, talking around the food in his mouth. "Have you decided on a mate yet?" He asked, and the atmosphere immediately grew a bit heavier. The blonde's expression was serious, which seemed to be a pretty rare occurrence these days.

Ai bit into his sandwich and let the question hang unanswered until he finally swallowed. "I haven't yet." He spoke, but it came out a little more irritated than he meant for it to be. "I haven't met enough to choose, and my father says he still has others he wants me to meet." Ai finished, and finally took a long sip of the soup in front of him so he could taste the homemade noodles and perfectly cooked chicken.

"Ai, there aren't many single alpha's around our age, so you don't exactly have a lot to work with." Haruka said slowly as he ate. "Unless Rin asks to mate you, you probably won't get anyone who matches your specific type."

Ai puffed out his cheeks and huffed, staring out to the lake that reflected the trees and mountains across it. "Haruka, you're lucky. You and Makoto have been together for almost your entire life, so you haven't had to meet with other mates." He mumbled, almost bitterly. "And, I don't want to mate with Rin. He's one of my best friends, and probably doesn't even see me that way!" Ai whined and kicked his legs under the table before ending with a sigh.

Haruka nodded his head and chuckled quietly behind his hand at Ai's actions. "You're right. I guess it was unfair of me to talk about something I've never had to actually go through." He finished his first sandwich and moved onto the next, smiling warmly.

"You don't know if Rinrin doesn't like you, though. I mean, you've known each other for a long time too! Maybe he's keeping quiet until he has to meet with you and your parents to have their blessing." Nagisa smiled and laughed a bit to help lift the mood. "I guess I shouldn't be bothering you with this either, though. Me and Rei-chan didn't exactly get married the normal way either."

Ai laughed and set his sandwich down to sip at the broth of the soup again, humming at the warmth as it spread through his body. "Mmh, I'm sorry if it seemed like I was getting annoyed... I've just been trying to avoid thinking of it when I don't need to." He shook his head and righted his hat as it fell slightly to the side and almost falling off. "But, don't worry! I'll choose someone when I'm ready to. I promise I'll pick someone good." He added.

The three omegas then fell into a conversation about Makoto and his amazing cooking, and how lucky Haruka was to have an alpha like him. Haru, of course, boasted about the magnificent meals he made that week and how Makoto recently bought and butchered a pig with plans to make his Super Amazing Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

They rambled on and on through topic after topic until noon, when Haruka finally had to say his goodbyes and head home to help his loving husband with lunch. Nagisa made sure to clean out the picnic basket of all it's uneaten food before he and Ai began to walk slowly on the lakeside.

"It'll start freezing over soon." Nagisa said out of the blue, breaking yet another moment of comfortable silence. "Rei-chan said he isn't looking forward to ice fishing this year. Apparently he's losing his place in the hunting pack as well, so we actually have to buy pelts to keep warm this winter." His tone  was somber, eyes dulled a bit and mouth set in a hard line.

Ai always knew that Nagisa and Rei weren't exactly well off. Rei had worked hard to be in the hunting pack, which consisted mainly of alpha men and women. He worked alongside Makoto, Rin, and Seijuurou, but never had the best performance. He was clumsy, and everyone knew it too. It was a shame, though, because Rei worked as hard as he possibly could to provide for his omega.

Before they had married, he worked as tutor for students as well as in the smithy. He made good money, which he saved up for when he finally mated. Ai remembered when he watched the beta court Nagisa through gifts of meticulously crafted jewelry and outings along the lakeside and in the meadows just outside of town. It was beautiful, romantic, and exactly what Nagisa had always wanted.

But, now, Rei could hardly find work. He'd lost his tutoring job and had been kicked out of the smithy, and now, after finally becoming part of the pack, he was being removed from that as well. Ai would admit that it was selfish of Nagisa and Rei for having engaged in pre-marital sex, as it was law for an omega to wed whoever had taken their virginity. Rei had known this, too, when he and Nagisa had done it. It was all out of spite to his parents, since Nagisa wasn't permitted to marry a beta, and his parents would not listen to any argument Nagisa made. Because Nagisa wanted to be with Rei so badly, the two ruined most chances of finding jobs.

Rei would have to beg on his hands and knees just to get by, put up with any awful job no one else would take, and overwork himself for minimal pay. Nagisa would never be employed again, either, because of their actions. However, they often say it was worth it if it meant they could be happy together, and Ai just could not understand it. How could they be happy while just barely getting by? It hadn't even been a year, and the two had already almost lost their house. Nagisa's parents refused to help, but thankfully the Ryuugazaki's came through to assist them in their time of need.

Ai shook his head slowly and sighed, gently taking one of Nagisa's now-gloved hands in his as they continued walking. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Rei works harder than anyone I've ever met, so he'll come through." He smiled reassuringly, staring at the blonde omega until he smiled back. "I'll even ask my father to be easy on him. He'd never be unfair to someone who works hard and pulls their own weight." Ai said confidently, humming and nodding his head.

Nagisa stopped and smiled at Ai and pulled the silvery haired omega into his arms, squeezing tightly. "Thank you, Ai-chan! Honestly, we need all the support we can get! Rei-chan has been so stressed out because he doesn't want be kicked from this one!" He sniffled against Ai's jacket, and he braced himself for the onslaught of tears he knew was coming. "We're low on savings too, and we can't keep begging his parents to help!"

And, there came the tears. Ai patted his friend's back gently and let Nagisa cry and wail out to his heart's content. Once the blonde had calmed himself down enough to breathe normally, he pulled away to rub his eyes dry. "You good now?" Ai asked with a giggle as he ran his arms soothingly over the omega's arms. "I promise, my parents will help if you ever need food or a place to sleep, okay?" Nagisa nodded and Ai smiled happily. "Everything will be fine. You should head home now, though. The hunters will be back soon." He added and stepped back.

Nagisa nodded and breathed deeply before he fixed his hair and plastered a smile back onto his face. "I'll do that, then. Rei-chan didn't say when his last day of hunting was, but I'm not expecting it to be much longer." He sighed and hung his head before he straightened himself up with a grin, one that was painfully forced. "No worries, though! We should at least have enough to get by until the lake freezes over, so it'll be okay." Nagisa began to walk away, muttering another "It'll be okay," under his breath.

Ai waved slowly as Nagisa made his way into the opposite direction back to his house, and once the omega was far enough away, Ai began his short walk home. He crunched over leaves to make noise in place of Nagisa's chatter and hummed a tune to himself as he skipped over the surfaced tree roots, landing gently back onto the dirt road and kicking away the red and orange leaves in his path.

Soon enough, he was home. The omega undid the laces of his boots and set them aside before he removed his hat, scarf, and jacket to place them inside the nearby closet. Ai inhaled the scent of his mother's cooking, and exhaled with a happy sigh. He padded his way through the living room and to the kitchen, where his mother stood at the counter chopping up vegetable.

"Ah, Aiichirou, welcome home!" She greeted, never looking away from what she was doing. "Can you do me a favor and check on the salmon? Your father was helping me, but he stepped outside to feed the chickens and cows." She shook her head and sighed.

"Mmhm!" Ai happily made his way to the skillet on the fire, lifting the lid and checking the underside before he flipped it. "It looks perfect! What else are we having?" He asked and gently placed the lid back on and turned to his mother.

"I made some rice, and I'm about to steam these." She held up the bowl full of chopped veggies with a smile before she shooed Ai away from the counters. "Sit at the table, dear. I'll be done in a moment."

Ai nodded and sat down at the rounded dinner table. He watched as his mother skillfully deboned another fillet of salmon, throwing it into the skillet immediately after removing the first one to let it rest on the cutting board. "Do you think I'll find a good mate?" Ai asked aloud as he rested his chin in his hands.

His mother turned with widened eyes and let out a laugh, grinning widely from ear to ear. "Of course you will, Aiichirou! Your father has been looking for only the best alphas for you." She went to slicing the fish into thirds and set it into an insulated container to keep it warm. "Honestly, I'm a little surprised that you haven't chosen one already. Some of those boys were quite attractive!" She laughed and began to season the fish now cooking in the skillet.

"But, none of them are... Really my type." Ai sighed and rested his head onto the table. He began to trace designs onto the table with one of his slender fingers, sighing softly. "I hope the next one is better."

"Ai, you're being too picky." His mother shook her head while she washed her hands, glancing over her shoulder. "No man is perfect, especially alphas. They're all going to be muscle heads who care too much about work, honey." She said.

"But, what about Makoto? He's such a nice guy! He doesn't even act like an alpha!" Ai whined and pouted under his mother's unamused stare.

"He's only like that because he grew up with Haruka, and already knew what he wants and needs." She said as she crossed her arms.

Ai pouted more, sprawling his arms out on the table before his father walked inside through the back door. "Father, when will the next time I meet with an alpha be?" The omega asked as he slowly sat up, watching his beta father remove his shoes.

The man looked up and chuckled as he removed his jacket and hung it up on the coat rack. "Tomorrow, actually. Why, are you finally interested in having a mate now, Aiichirou?" He asked after giving his wife a kiss, then made his way to sit at the table. "I'm positive you'll like this next man. He's not originally from our town, so you probably don't know him. Moved here just last year, actually." He smiled up at his wife as she placed two hot cups of tea at the table for them.

"Ah, so is he a nice guy?" Ai asked with some interest as he blew on the steaming liquid before taking a sip. "He isn't all over himself, is he?" He frowned behind the cup and pursed his lips.

"Of course he's a nice guy!" Ai's father shook his head and crossed his arms. "He's become one of the best hunters, I'll have you know. I met him the other day when I was selling some fish at the market." The man took a sip of his tea and sighed happily. "I won't say too much and spoil it, but I know you'll like this one."

Ai rolled his eyes and set his cup down just as his mother began to place the plates in front of them, sitting down at the table as well. "Whatever you say, father." He chuckled and started to eat his food, humming happily as the salmon melted in his mouth.

"If it's the boy I think he's talking about, I definitely think he's the one." Ai's mother smiled sweetly and began to eat her food as well, slowly savoring every bite. "Definitely the type to provide a comfortable living environment." She added between bites.

The rest of lunch went by with minimal conversation. Ai mentioned the day he had with Nagisa and Haruka, asked his father to be easy on Rei when ice fishing season started, and asked permission to bring leftovers over to Nagisa if they ever needed a good meal. Ai's father threw out hint after hint of the alpha Ai was to meet with the next day, and was hushed by his mother who had enough of listening to him ramble.

Once the three had finished their food and cleaned their plates, Ai happily did the dishes. He hummed the same tune he had while walking home, swaying his hips gently with the urge to dance around his house while singing the tribal songs, meant for holidays, that were passed down through his family for generations. Ai had quickly washed and dried the plates, cups, and utensils and set them onto the rack beside the sink before he made his way over to the living room, flopping down onto the plush couch.

Ai felt his eyelids begin to flutter shut, and he yawned against the sleeve of his favorite blue sweater. He nuzzled his face into the pillow against the arm of the couch and let himself relax, smiling softly as a blanket was draped over his laying form. "Mother?" He asked with a yawn, glancing up to see her smiling face. "Can you wake me up in, like, an hour? Or three?" He asked with a sleepy laugh.

"Of course, dear." She patted his silvery hair, so similar in color to her own. "I'll wake you up once I run the bath." She nodded and walked away, smiling to herself because she knew Ai had heard nothing she had said, as he had already fallen asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Sousuke! (also using the parents as a way to fill extra space oops)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda maybe sorta wanted to write chapter two lol. After this chapter it'll be mostly Ai and Sousuke interactions, but I'll throw in the other pairings as well when they become a little more relevant

Evening came by quickly for Ai, who had been woken up early in the evening by his mother so he could eat dinner. They ate dinner in mostly silence, occasionally chattering about this and that before all talking ceased in favor of eating his mother's cooking. Ai excused himself early from the dinner table with the intent of taking a bath and going back to sleep.

He made his way up the creaky wooden stairs of their home and to the bathroom, closing it with yawn before he began to undress. Ai started the faucet and waited until the water was mostly warm so he could step in and sit down, humming as the water poured out onto his feet. As the bath tub filled up, Ai examined his body. He ran both hands up and down his slender legs and the swell of his wide hips, a feature common among omegas.

Ai pursed his lips and turned his head to look out the small bathroom window, gazing at the trees in his backyard. Would his future mate like his body? Would Ai be able to comfortably show his body to the man he gives himself to? He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. No alpha would mate with an omegan male if the didn't like their feminine features.

The omega quickly began to wash himself, scrubbing his porcelain skin until it glowed a bright red. Ai washed his hair and tugged on his hair out of frustration before submerging himself under the bath water to rinse it all out. He huffed as he resurfaced and blinked slowly. So what if he mates with an alpha who doesn't like his body? That's their problem! He can't change what he was born with, and why would he? Ai was confident in his body and liked the way it looked.

He pulled the drain to the tub and stepped out to grab himself a towel to begin drying off. Ai wrapped the soft cloth around his body before he opened the bathroom door to head to his room, dropping off his laundry into the hamper along the way. The omega sat himself down onto his plush bed and stared at the wall. For a long while, he sat thoughtlessly and quietly. When he blinked himself back into reality he finished drying off and dressed himself into his pajamas before hopping into bed. Would this next alpha really be "the one", as his mother had said? Did his father really think he would like him?

Aiichirou pulled his blankets over his small frame and leaned over to turn off his oil-lit lamp. If he kept thinking about this, he'd never get any sleep! Ai grumbled a bit and pushed away all thoughts in his head, hoping that sleep would come easy.

...

Ai awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and a bright beam of sunlight beating down on his face from the window across from his bed. He groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and swinging both legs over the side of his bed to stand up. He undressed himself and shivered at the cold air inside his room, quickly redressing himself in a pair of warm black pants and a red flannel shirt - a gift from Rin on his last birthday.

The omega finished by pulling on a warm pair of socks before he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and unruly bed head. Once finished, he made his way downstairs. Ai stopped halfway down the steps at the sounds of unfamiliar voices, and his stomach sank.

The omega willed himself down the stairs the rest of the way and nervously turned the corner into the living room, where he spotted his parents and two unknown guests.

"Good morning, Aiichirou!" His father greeted with a grin before lifting a cup to his lips. "Perfect timing, son. These are the parents of that alpha boy I mentioned yesterday." He gestured across the coffee table to the tall, intimidating man and equally intimidating woman; both obviously alphas.

Ai, with shaky legs, walked to the couch his parents were occupying and bowed politely. "H-Hello! It's nice to meet you!" He played with his silvery hair as he plopped down between his mother and father. He glanced around in search of his suitor. Was he not here?

Just as he finished his thought, however, the backdoor opened and in came a man who Ai thought was the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Black hair, striking teal eyes, and a wide, muscular frame. He kicked off his boots and made his way into the living room, sitting in the open space on the couch besides his father.

"That's nice leather you have out there. Would I be able to buy some before we leave today?" The alpha boy asked, almost as if he was unaware of the omega across from him.

"Of course! In fact, I'll give you some of that for free. Consider it a thank you gift for coming today." Ai's father set down his tea cup and chuckled. "Sousuke, this is my son, Aiichirou." He gestured to the omega beside him with a grin.

Teal eyes shifted to Ai, growing wide for a moment before he allowed a breathtaking smile to grace his lips. He stood and gave a polite bow before sitting down again. "Nice to meet you, Aiichirou."

His voice was like the darkest chocolate Ai had ever tasted, and his skin looked like it was kissed by the sun itself. Ai glanced down to his large, strong hands that sat on his knees, and felt his heart speed up ever so slightly. "N-nice to meet you too." The omega nodded his head with a nervous smile, pushing his bangs out of his eyes when he sat back and leaned toward his mother.

"So, what is it that you're looking for in a mate, Aiichirou?" The woman, tall with dark drown hair and eyes as teal as Sousuke's, spoke in a beautifully husky voice. "A traditional alpha, maybe?"

Ai felt his stomach flip with anxiety and his face grew red as he stuttered before taking a deep breath. "I, um... Not too traditional, I suppose." He had never been asked such a specific question before. Usually it was all simple stuff. "I don't, uh, want someone who will treat me like an object." He said finally, nodding his head in content with his answer.

The woman smiled. "Have you considered any other suitors?" She asked, and Ai felt his stomach knot itself.

"No, I haven't." Ai said, pushing through his anxiety. His eyes flicked back to Sousuke, who must have been staring at Ai, because he turned his head and looked in another direction. "None of them have interested me." He added.

"Well," the man, Sousuke's father, spoke up. "I guess that means you're looking for more than just his accomplishments and ability to provide, am I right?" He hummed when Ai nodded and agreement. "Maybe we should leave these boys alone, so they can get to know each other, hmm?" He looked to his wife, and then to the Nitoris.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Ai's mother smiled and stood up, smoothing out the skirt to her dress. "I have some cleaning I need to do anyway, so how about you take them out back and show them around the farm, dear?" The woman smiled to Ai's father as she made her way to the next room over.

"Great idea!" The beta stood up and stepped around the back of the couch. "You wouldn't mind, would you? I've got a couple of goats I'm looking to sell, if you're interested."

The two alphas stood up slowly and followed Ai's father, who began to chatter on about goats and chickens while their company followed him out the back door. Ai sighed to himself and fiddled with the sleeves of his flannel, finally able to relax a bit now that there were less people in the room.

"So..." Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck and looked around before deciding to look back to the omega. "Um, sorry, I haven't ever done one of these before, so I'm kinda nervous." He chuckled, and by God was that the nicest sound Ai had ever heard.

The omega shook his head and adjusted himself on the cushions, smiling reassuringly. "No! Y-you don't have to apologize." He waved his hands a bit and giggled. The alpha seemed shy, which was a pleasant change from all the other overly-confident alphas he met with before.

Sousuke smiled and relaxed his shoulders a bit before he spoke. "Well, I should probably tell you about myself, right? Is that how these things work?" He laughed nervously and picked at his thumb nail as he thought. "Well... I know you said you didn't care much about accomplishments, but I've got a wide set of skills." He said.

Ai nodded with genuine interest, leaning forward a bit. "I didn't mean it like I don't care at all! It's definitely an important thing. Being proud of yourself is good." The omega smiled wide and pulled his knees up to his chest. "What kind of skills do you have, exactly?" In a way, Ai was surprised that he had taken an almost immediate liking to Sousuke. He wanted to know more about him, which he'd never wanted to do with any of the other men.

"Ah, well..." Sousuke thought, humming and crossing his arms. "I'm part of the hunting pack. Pretty high ranking, too, along with my father." He started, and Ai could see his nerves relaxing. "I work sometimes in the smithy, and have gotten pretty good at that as well. I also worked as a lumberjack last month, and I'm thinking of doing that some more as well." He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a bit.

Dear god, he was perfect. Ai blushed a bit, imaging just how beautiful he must look underneath his clothing. The omega shook his head to keep those thoughts at bay before he smiled back at the alpha. "You seem like a hard worker. My mother told me she thought you were the type who could definitely provide a nice living environment, and I'm starting to see why." He giggled and didn't miss the small flush that worked it's way up Sousuke's cheeks.

Sousuke nodded and smiled a bit wider. "I've been wanting to get into crafting too; that's why I was asking about buying some of your father's leather." He hummed and sat back comfortably on the couch. "If it's okay, maybe I can make something for you." He added.

Ai blinked and blushed a bit. Was he trying to court him already? The omega smiled and played a bit with his hair. "Only if it isn't too much work for you. Anything would be fine, though! I'm not picky."

Sousuke smiled fondly at the omega in front of him and he sat up right. "It'll be a surprise, then." He chuckled and stood up slowly, walking around the coffee table to sit on the far end of the couch that Ai was sitting on. "Tell me about yourself, Aiichirou. I don't want this to be all about myself." He said seriously.

"Me?" Ai giggled and adjusted himself on his seat, moving a little closer to the alpha. "My mother taught me how to sew and cook, and I'm very good at housecleaning." He started, and his chest tingled at the way Sousuke looked at him as he spoke. "I've gone fishing a few times with my father, but I don't exactly think I can call that a skill. I've butchered animals as well, and I've gotten pretty good at that over the years."

The alpha nodded and straightened himself out of his relaxed posture. "I'd say you're just as handy as any other alpha out there." He smiled when Ai laughed softly, loving the sound in his ears. "Maybe you can teach me how to sew. I'm not very good at that. Y'know, the whole needle threading thing."

"Hmm, maybe I will." Ai felt a burst of joy throughout his body, branching from his finger tips and through his chest and stomach down to his toes. He blushed, catching the faintest smell of bonfire on Sousuke when the alpha moved a bit closer as well. "Um..." He fidgeted, smile never leaving his lips.

"Can I court you, Aiichirou?" The alpha asked, and Ai nodded quickly without thinking of what he was doing. Sousuke's grin was wide and beautiful, his teeth white and sharp like any alpha. "Thank you, I mean..." He shook his head. "I'm honored, honestly. I was worried I wouldn't be what you were looking for."

Ai opened his mouth to speak, but was startled when he heard a door shutting from the other room. "Did I hear that right?" Ai's father wasted no time rushing to the living room to pat the young alpha on his back. "Congratulations! This is good news, we should get to wedding planning as soon as possible!" The beta was all smiles and practically bouncing with joy.

Sousuke's mother stepped forward with a proud, loving smile and sat onto the couch beside Ai. "Goodness, darling, this is wonderful! We have to tell your mother, where is she?" The alpha woman looked around, her long hair flowing elegantly over her shoulders. She stood up to meet the omega woman and began chatting her up about the news.

Ai looked to Sousuke, both somewhat embarrassed by their parents behavior. "Sorry... I didn't think it'd be such a big deal to them." He laughed nervously and blushed a darker red under the gaze of his to-be-mate.

"Nah, no worries. Hey, um, maybe tomorrow we could go out together? I'll even bring something for us to eat." Sousuke was flushed as well, now deciding to look everywhere but at Ai. "Unless you don't want to, Aiichirou."

"Ai."

"Huh?" Sousuke blinked, making contact with a pair of beautiful, icy eyes again.

"Call me Ai. All my friends do." The omega laughed and set his small, delicate hand on top of Sousuke's much larger one. "And, I'd love to go out tomorrow. Maybe you could come to pick me up around noon?"

"Yes! Yes." Sousuke cleared his throat and tried his hardest to hide an excited grin, but failed miserably. "Noon, then. I'll be sure to bring something for us to eat while we're out." He nodded.

Ai and Sousuke stared into each others eyes for a while, drowning out the noise of their parents chattering on and on about the wedding, the planning, and so on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if you have any questions please leave a comment or send me an ask on my tumblr at ghoulishken.tumblr.com!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to get out! I didn't want to exhaust myself by writing it all in once sitting lol. Chapter is all about Sou and Ai's date hehehe. Also, introducing Rin (and a mention of his secret relationship with Momo ooh la la)!

It had been a long rest of the day for both Ai and Sousuke. The parents had gone on and on for hours, leaving the omega and the alpha alone for the majority of it. The two discovered that they shared quite a few interests during that time, and had talked animatedly and excitedly about them.

However, it wasn't long before Ai had to say goodbye to his mate and soon-to-be inlaws. Afterwards, Ai had helped clean up the tea cups and help his mother prepare a delicious brunch consisting of fresh eggs, thickly cut bacon, and hash browns. The day, otherwise, went on slowly.

...

It was evening, and Ai found himself immersed in a book he had borrowed from Haruka not too long ago. He read and reread paragraphs quickly and flipping through the pages quickly. He sat on the living room couch, legs crossed with a cup of hot cocoa on the coffee table in front of him.

A knock on the front door brought Ai out of his imaginary world, making his back straighten in surprise. He stood slowly and hopped to the front door, knowing exactly who it would be; the only person who ever stops by this late at night-

"Rin!" Ai swung the door open and was met with his best friend smiling down at him. "Good evening! How are you?" The omega stepped aside to allow the red-haired alpha in before shutting the door.

Rin leaned down and rubbed his nose against the side of Ai's neck, the omega doing the same to Rin, scenting each other as a way of greeting.

"Pretty good, Ai." Rin ruffled the boy's silvery hair as he toed off his shoes. "You're wearing the shirt I got you! Looks nice." He laughed while pulling off his jacket and hanging it up on the rack. "So." The alpha crossed his arms as stared with a small smile.

Ai began to walk back out to the living room with a hum, sitting down on the couch again and looking up to Rin as the alpha followed. "So? What's up?" He asked and took a sip of his hot cocoa, blue eyes meeting red.

"I heard you picked the guy I hunt with as a mate." Rin's smile became a bit wider as he spoke, showing off his incredibly sharp teeth. "Sousuke and I were in the same group today, and he was so happy about it that he gushed to me about it." The alpha laughed, and Ai felt his face light up.

Ai messed with his bangs and pursed his lips in embarrassment. "D-do you think it's weird? Should I have picked someone else?" He asked quickly, stumbling over his words a bit. "I, I mean, I just accepted him today... I still don't know him very well..."

The alpha took a seat on the opposite couch and hummed, tilting his head while Ai mumbled. "Nah, I think he's a nice guy. He works hard and definitely is able to take care of an omega. You probably picked the best option available, if you want my opinion." Rin said honestly and stole the cup from Ai to take a sip of the drink.

"O-oh, thank goodness..." The omega let out a sigh of relief and quickly took his cup back from Rin. "He's very nice. He's the first person I met who asked about me and what I like." Ai let a warm smile grace his features, blushing at the memory. "That made me really happy."

Rin smiled and leaned back against the couch before looking around. "Did mom make dinner yet? I'm starving." He pouted a bit when Ai shook his head. "Ai, will you make me something?" He asked, jokingly.

The omega laughed softly and stood up to walk to the kitchen. "How about some pie from the other day? It's still good." He took two plates out of the cupboard and began uncovering the delicious apple pie he had made not too long ago. "There's exactly two pieces left too! What a coincidence." He laughed and plated them before walking back to the living room to hand a plate and fork to his friend.

"Ah, thank you." Rin smiled appreciatively and made quick work of digging it. He hummed happily at the flavor, sighing almost dreamily between every couple of bites. "Y'know, Ai." He started before shoving another bite into his mouth. "Sousuke and I have gotten pretty close since we started being partners in the pack, so I'll be sure to let you know if he ever says anything to me about you." He spoke around the pie in his mouth.

Ai, looking up from his plate, smiled at Rin. "I appreciate it. But, doesn't he know that we're best friends? Wouldn't he be kinda nervous about talking to you about me, then?" He asked, voice soft.

The alpha shook his head, some of his red hair falling out of his short ponytail. "Nope. Haven't told him yet. I will if he asks me, though, how about that?" Rin cackled and finished his piece of pie, setting his plate down. "And, Ai, tell me if he ever acts like an asshole too. I'll teach him a thing or two, yeah?" The redhead held up a fist and smacked it to his palm with a smirk.

Ai waved a hand at Rin, whining quietly. "Don't do that! I wouldn't want you to beat him up!" The omega huffed and ate another bite of his pie. "I won't hesitate to let you know, but let's not assume he's an awful jerk either. I think he's a genuinely nice guy, even though we've only spent a few hours talking this morning."

Rin raised an eyebrow and frowned a bit. "I mean, he is a cool guy. I've had enough interactions with him to know that. But, can you really say he's so nice after meeting him once?" The alpha asked, leaning forward slightly. "He's pretty vicious, y'know. He didn't outrank me by being a pushover and letting prey escape. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's never let anything get away from him. Not even small critters."

"But, his performance in the field doesn't mean he's going to be vicious or an asshole at home or to his mate." Ai blinked slowly, expression slightly annoyed. "I guess I see where you're coming from, though. I understand, too. Don't worry, though! It isn't like I placed every ounce of trust in him." The omega laughed a bit before he, too, finished off the last of his pie.

Rin nodded and smiled a bit before standing up. "Well, I should head back home. I just wanted to stop by and see if it was true that you actually picked someone." He laughed and made his way to the front door to slip back on his shoes and jacket. "I'll see you later, Ai." He waved.

Ai scrambled to open the door for his guest, pouting when Rin poked his nose. "I'll see you around." He grinned. "Tomorrow I'm going out with Sousuke, so I'll update on how it goes next time." The omega waved his hand as Rin walked out the door with a laugh. He stood watching Rin walk away, feeling a slight tug in his belly.

After closing the door and licking it, Ai collected the plates and utensils to set them into the sink before grabbing his book and heading upstairs. He thought back to when he was absolutely in love with Rin, only getting over it about a year and a half ago. Back then, all Ai could hope for was that maybe the alpha would court him. That, if course, hadn't ever happened. He was sad, maybe even a little depressed, because of it.

The recovery from his crush was pretty easy, though. Ai had caught Rin and another friend, Momo, kissing and embracing each other behind the Matsuoka family's shed. It was all purely by mistake, since Ai was curious to where his childhood friend had gone. Momo was only fifteen then, but Ai could tell that Rin wanted him as his mate. Every time after that, he'd become almost hyperaware of their loving glances and how they occasionally brushed against each other, or the way they would say certain things to each other, as if they had another meaning only they knew about.

After seeing how happy Rin was, Ai had decided that was more important than a little crush on his friend. Even a year later, Momo sixteen and soon to be seventeen, and Rin still share those moments. Ai knew that the alpha wasn't aware of his knowledge of him and the beta, and he wanted to keep it that way. The omega didn't want to become involved in it unless Rin were to bring it up first.

Ai laid down on his bed and opened up his book again, reading from where he left off. Slowly, his mind began to drift to thoughts of Sousuke and their date for tomorrow. Would it go well? What should he wear? Should he bring some food as well? Ai's mind was racing and so full of questions that he couldn't even concentrate on the book he was so interested in earlier.

With a sigh, the omega placed the marker back and set his book to the side before rolling onto his stomach. He shut his eyes in thought, still wondering about what to do. The date wasn't until noon, so he had time to decide. Maybe take a bath in the morning, make some cookies, and put on a nice, date-worthy dress. That sounded good, definitely. Ai smiled to himself and kicked his legs back and forth before he jumped up to change into his pajamas. Smiling still, Ai crawled back into bed and rolled around in his blankets before relaxing, falling asleep easily.

...

The next morning, Ai woke up early to get ready for his date this afternoon. He took a long, warm bath before returning to his room in only a towel to lay out several different outfits he had in mind to wear.

After several minutes of considering what to wear and after trying on all his nice outfits, the omega settled on the powder blue dress with the white lace on the hem of the skirt piece. Ai smoothed out the material as he stared at himself in the mirror. "I wonder if he'll like it." He hummed out with a growing smile on his face and a slight dust of blush on his cheeks.

After putting the rest of his clothing into his closet, Ai spotted a ribbon, silky and white at the floor of his closet. Picking it up, the boy noticed that it was rather long and probably meant to be used as a sash or belt. He wrapped the fabric around his waist tightly and tied it into a bow from the front before he twisted it around to it was placed cutely against his lower back. Perfect.

The last thing he needed were a pair of knee socks, then he was rushing down the stairs to begin making the cookies he had on his mind all night.

Ai mixed up the batter for a batch of his mother's sugar cookies, being careful not to ruin his dress as he went along. He placed them onto a sheet and into the oven he had already preheated, then sat down at the kitchen table and waited.

"Aiichirou," his mother stepped into the room, startling him out of his concentration. "you look lovely, my dear. You sure got ready pretty early, though." The woman laughed and sat down across from her son.

"I wanted to be ready for my date with Sousuke today." Ai spoke, suddenly very shy. "And, I wanted to look nice." He smiled a bit and played with his bangs while he spoke.

His mother nodded slowly, a smile on her fave as well. "Are you sure you'll be warm enough in that dress? It's awfully cold today." She crossed her arms and sighed. "Even with your jacket, your legs will be freezing."

The omega bit his lip. He hadn't considered the weather when he was getting dressed this morning. "I'll be fine! I can bring an extra sweater and put it on my lap whenever we sit down to eat." Ai smiled reassuringly before he hopped out of his seat to check on the cookies still in the oven. "How long do these take? I put them in about ten minutes ago, I think."

His mother giggled softly. "Once they look a golden brown, you can take them out. They haven't been in there long enough, though. Just be patient." She said and stood up as well to pad into the kitchen.

"Okay!" Ai grinned widely and sat back at the table, rubbing his hands on his already-chilly legs. "Mother, can I tell you something?"

"Hmm?" She filled the tea kettle up with water before setting it onto the stove, letting the heat boil with water inside. "Yes, of course. You can always tell me anything." She turned to Ai with a warm, loving smile.

Ai rubbed his hands together under the table and looked around, avoiding eye contact. "Is it weird that... I dunno, even after meeting Sousuke for the first time yesterday, it feels kinda like I'm supposed to be with him?" He spoke slowly, mumbling just slightly. "It's weird. I don't love him, not yet at least, but..."

"I think I know what you're getting at." Ai's mother walked back to the table and sat down with a hum. "It is necessarily love at first sight, but rather, you know that you will love him at some point down the road." She explained with a smile. "Is that it?"

The omega nodded, a deep blush on his cheeks and his neck. "Y-yeah... Is it a normal thing? Or am I just weird?" He asked nervously, looking up.

"I wouldn't say weird at all. It happens a lot." His mother said. "Why, I was that way when I met your father." She started. "We've known each other for ages, and I always knew I would love him. I went through years not understanding why I knew that one day he and I would be together, when I didn't love him at all." She laughed, blushing a bit as well. "It wasn't until he asked to court me that I actually fell in love. It was like I was waiting all these years for a reason, and when it came, I wasn't surprised." She sighed dreamily at the memory, her hands fiddling with the tassels on her shawl.

Ai blinked slowly and a warm, fuzzy feeling rose in his chest. "That's so cool." He grinned widely, feeling a little better about the situation. "At least now I know that I'll fall in love with him, even it takes a while." The omega sighed happily. "I wonder when it'll happen... I'm getting kind of excited now." He giggled.

Ai's mother nodded slowly. "You'll know when it happens." She stood up and walked to the now screaming teapot to pout it's contents into two cups and mix in the tea. "Now, I'll be heading back to my room. I'm knitting up a new scarf for your father, since he ripped his." She shook her head and set the cup in front of Ai before making her way out of the room.

Ai smiled widely while he ran his finger around the lip of the cup. In a way, it made him think of the holidays. He knew they were coming, but he didn't know what he would get. He knew he would love Sousuke, but when? It was an exciting thought.

After downing the hot cup of tea, Ai checked the cookies again. A perfect golden brown! He slipped on some gloves and pulled the sheet out to sit on top of the counter to cool off. He admired them, looking soft and squishy and ready to eat up. Ai shook away the temptation and hurriedly grabbed a wicker basket to set in a cloth lining.

The silvery haired omega then took a few minutes to lol around his kitchen in hopes of finding something else to bring along. He could put tea in a thermos and bring along two cups, and maybe some berries he had in the cooler. He nodded with a smile and did so, quickly adding everything to the basket along with the cookies once they had cooled.

Now Ai just had to wait. It shouldn't be too much longer, he thought as he sat down on the couch with a smile. He played with the lace on his dress and rested his head back and stared at the ceiling, the natural designs on the wood making his eyes trace the shapes in every direction and lose track of time.

After a while, Ai closed his eyes and enjoyed the noises from the outside. The winds blowing through trees, the sounds of horses down the dirt streets, dogs barking next door, and the relaxing sounds of birds chirping. Before he knew it, a knock on the door brought him out of a short nap.

The omega rose to his feet and rushed to open the door, smiling widely at the sight of the tall, dark haired alpha before him. "Good afternoon, Sousuke! How are you?" Ai asked, stepping aside to let the man in before shutting the door.

"I'm doing well." Sousuke smiled- that smile that made Ai's heart jump. "How are you, today?" He asked as he set down the basket in his hand onto the floor. "You..." His teal eyes glanced over the omega, the dress fitting is curves so well. "You look amazing." Sousuke said, not thinking before it came out.

"O-oh, thank you!" Ai grinned widely as he hopped to the closet to pull out a thick sweater, putting it on. "I was hoping you'd like it, actually." He said shyly before putting on his thicker jacket over the sweater. "I made us some cookies for our date, so I have to grab those!"

Sousuke nodded and watched Ai run to the other room. He looked beautiful, amazing, absolutely magnificent. The alpha could hardly tear his eyes away, but did when he saw the boy running back with basket in hand. "Ready now?" He asked, smiling, before opening the door and stepping out.

Ai followed after toeing on his boots and shutting the door behind them, excitedly bounding to the alpha's side. "Where are we going, exactly?" He asked, trying his best to keep up with Sousuke's long strides.

"I was thinking of going to the meadow, since the flowers there won't be around for much longer with this weather." The dark haired alpha spoke, turning his head to Ai. "Is there somewhere else you wanna go?" He offered out his arm for Ai, slowing down so he could easily keep up.

The omega shyly took the offer, linking his free arm in with the alpha's as they walked. The black fur on his jacket was soft on his bare hand, and warm from Sousuke's body heat. "I think the meadow is good. I've only been there a few times with friends." Ai giggled and leaned closer to the alpha's warmth.

The rest of the walk was filled with talk and chatter of their families, common interests, and the like. Every now and again, Ai would catch Sousuke staring at him with a soft expression. It filled the omega with an odd kind of warmth, knowing that he fascinated the alpha enough for him to let his guard down and soften his normally hard face.

Soon, they reached their destination. The meadow was wide and full of flowers of all kinds, the tall grass almost reaching Ai's knees. The omega smiled at the sight of other couples wandering around, some seated at the picnic tables he and Sousuke were headed towards.

Before taking a seat at the worn, wooden table under the large willow tree, Ai placed the wicket basket on the table before removing his jacket and the sweater underneath, then he quickly slipped on his jacket again to shield his bare arms from the autumn breeze. The omega sat with the sweater in his lap, sighing happily now that his legs were no longer cold.

Sousuke smiled slightly as he unpacked his basket on the table. Two lacquer wood bowls with lids and several small containers that smelled absolutely divine. He then set down a some utensils and smiled. "I packed us both some of the dinner my mother made last night. Oh, but I made this," he pointed to the wooden bowls. "it's Hoto."

Ai blinked as he also unloaded his basket of the cookies, mixed berries, and thermos of tea. "Hoto? I've never heard of it." The omega offered Sousuke a cup after pouring some tea inside. He slowly opened the containers offered by the alpha, and his mouth immediately began watering. "This looks good! Thank you very much!" He grinned, taking his fork and beginning to eat.

The alpha chuckled and sipped at the warm tea before opening one of the containers as well. "Hoto is a soup we used to make a lot before I moved here. It was pretty popular back in my home town." He said with a hum. "I hope you enjoy it."

Ai nodded and took a few bites of the venison roast and potatoes before he looked back up at Sousuke with a smile. "I almost forgot that you're not from here. Where did you live before?" He asked with genuine interest before continuing to pick slowly at his food.

At the question, Sousuke perked up a little more. "I used to live across the lake. There's a couple big towns there, and I ended up moving here because my father wanted some peace and quiet." The alpha laughed and ran a hand through his dark, silky hair.

"Ohh, that's cool!" Ai beamed, kicking his feet against the grass with excitement. "Do you like it here? I've been in this town my whole life, so I kinda think it's boring." He giggled at the way Sousuke smiled and tapped the tips of their shoes together.

"I like it here. It's calm and all the people are nice." The alpha started before he shoveled some more food in his mouth. "I like that everything is in walking distance too. Nothing takes too long to get to." Sousuke finished off his first container and moved onto the Hoto soup he made. "And, I've made more friends in the last year while living here than I ever did back in my home town." He said, finally.

Ai nodded as Sousuke spoke, slightly amazed that he cleaned out his first dish so quickly while the omega was still slowly picked through his. "Everyone knows everyone else here, so we all try to get along." He giggled. "I'm glad that you like it here, though. I'm sure you've also been a big help, with all you do around here and all."

Sousuke nodded with another breathtaking smile, and Ai couldn't help the dreamy sigh that slipped out. The two then began to chat on about the people Sousuke had become close with over the year, some of them being Rin, Makoto, and Seijuurou. Rei had been mentioned, but Sousuke claimed that they rarely got the chance to talk, and didn't exactly have an opinion on him. Ai sighed happily at that, explaining that Rei was a wonderful person, a hard worker, and very kind.

At some point during their conversations, Sousuke had taken Ai's hand and led the omega around the meadow. They smiled while talking animatedly about a book they had both read, then began talking about poems, sonnets, and the like. Ai hand gone on and on about his favorite piece he found in a book he had gotten a few years back, not noticing the way Sousuke watched him.

The alpha wore a gentle smile and he relaxed as they walked while listening to the omega. Sousuke's eyes never left the boy's face, darting everywhere from his lips to his beauty mark to the silver hair brushing against his skin.

Ai turned to look at Sousuke, and seeing his teal eyes locked onto his icy blue ones made it feel like his heart had stopped. How could anyone make him feel so warm and fuzzy inside? Why was Ai fine with it?

Sousuke leaned in slowly, and Ai's heart began to pound. Was he going to kiss him? But, this was only their first date! The omega watched the man with some nervousness, biting his lip and hoping it would be enough for Sousuke to realize that this was too soon. When the alpha's face was a mere inch away, Ai shut his eyes and stood still. He felt soft, warm lips against his cheek, and that warmth quickly spread like a wildfire through the omega's face and down his entire body.

Ai opened his eyes, meeting Sousuke's. The alpha had a dark blush on his cheeks, and when he opened his mouth to speak, whatever he was about to say was quickly silenced by Ai's lips. He didn't care if it was too soon; he wanted to feel them against his own two lips. The kiss was a gentle, sweet, closed-mouth kiss and Ai felt like he was burning up.

Sousuke squeezed the omega's hand and moved his free hand up to cradle Ai's cheek in his palm, large and strong. The dry, calloused skin of his fingers had brushed through a stray, silver lock and tucked it behind Ai's ear as they pulled away from each other.

They stared into one another. Sousuke speechless at the omega's actions, his face red and smile wide. Ai's expression was similar to the alpha's, his wide and toothy smile only making Sousuke's heart beat even harder for the omega.

They stood for a long while, the sunset behind them illuminating each other with oranges and pinks. Ai held Sousuke's hands tightly in his own, smaller ones. They felt so comforting, so much like home.

Once the sun had finally set, Sousuke and Ai leaned in and met for one last kiss before the alpha escorted his mate home, his strong arm wrapped comfortingly around the omega, who purred happily at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoto is a type of udon soup, in case you were wondering hehe (though you probably Googled it already lol)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing a shit-load of new characters and also some good rinmomos :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the severe lack of Ai this chapter lol but we will see him again soon

Ai woke up the next morning well rested and content. He stretched both arms above his head and sat up, wrapping his blankets around him to shield himself from the chilly morning air.

Humming, Ai thought back on the night before. He had kissed Sousuke, and when the alpha had dropped him off, Ai had kissed him again. The omega smiled stupidly and nuzzled into his blankets, blushing as he remembered the way Sousuke's lips felt against his own, how warm they were.

The omega was all smiles still, even as he got out of bed and began getting ready for his day at home. As the silvery haired boy turned to his bedroom door, he noticed the almost shining white powder on the ground outside.

With a grin, Ai rushed downstairs to get a better look, opening his front door to see how the snow was caked onto the ground, layering it thickly. It was the first snow of the year, and Ai's birthday was not far behind.

...

"Oi, Sousuke." Rin smacked the taller alpha on his back, making him frown at the redhead. "Pay attention. I don't like that I suddenly snowed an ass-load over night either, but that's no excuse to space out."

Sousuke straightened his back with a huff and adjusted the leather straps holding his black furred coat together at the front. "Just got a lot on my mind, okay? Sorry about that." The alpha smirked and gave Rin a hard smack onto his back as well before he began wrapping thick cloth around his hands.

Rin let out a low growl before he broke out into a laugh. "So, how was your date?" He asked, doing the same as Sousuke. The red haired alpha flexed his hands a few timed before moving to tighten the straps on his boots. "Was it fun? Did you do anything interesting?"

Sousuke turned to pick up his spear that was leaning against one of the many trees around them. "It was good. I had a really great time with Ai." He smiled. "I'm glad we went to the meadow before it snowed, though." The taller alpha slowly tied some cloth around the handle of the spear before he slowly looked up. "Wait, I didn't tell you I was going out with Ai yesterday. Did you see us walking around, or something?" He asked, leaning against a tree.

Rin's eyes widened a bit before he shook his head. "Ahh, my bad. Ai told me about it." He sighed. "I got confused for a bit, and forgot who told me." He laughed and took a step back at the glare the older alpha sent his way. "Sorry I didn't mention it earlier, Sousuke. I've known Ai for a long time, so I didn't think you'd be so bothered by it."

Sousuke frowned deeper and looked away from Rin. The air became heavy and tense, with redhead being able to practically smell the other alpha's unease in the air.

Rin wasn't surprised with this reaction, though. It wasn't normal for alphas and omegas to be together unless they were mates or family. He was just happy that Sousuke hadn't made an attempt so assert dominance yet, at least for now.

"Look, Sou, sorry to upset you by it, but I really don't have an interest in Ai. Yeah, I shoulda told you first thing, but I'm nit gonna steal him from you." Rin broke the silence and crossed his arms. He smiled when Sousuke looked back at him, noticeably becoming more comfortable. "Besides, I have someone I love. You don't gotta worry about me getting in the way, bro." Rin grinned, sharp teeth flashing bright and proud between his lips.

Sousuke sighed and pushed himself off of the tree and took his spear in hand. "Mmh. Didn't mean to be a dick just then, either. Sorry." He bumped the back of his hand against Rin's as he walked past the alpha. "You said you've known Ai for a while, so I won't throw a fit about it again." He laughed and moved forward toward the rest of the group.

Rin followed close behind with spear clutched under his arm. His gaze drifted over to a certain orange haired beta standing off to the side of the group, looking nervous and excited at the same time.

"Momo." Rin snuck up behind him and whispered softly in his ear, chuckling when the beta jumped and clutched a bow close to his chest.

"R-Rin? Don't scare me like that!" Momo turned his head to gaze into Rin's crimson eyes, and a dreamy sigh left him. "You're so mean."

The alpha laughed and took a step back, smiling at Momo for a moment before turning his head at the sound of Seijuurou's booming voice.

"You're brother's excited as ever, huh?" Rin asked with a chuckle as he moved to line up beside Sousuke, who was too busy listening to the older Mikoshiba brother to notice. "Are you looking forward to your first ever hunt in the pack?" He asked.

The beta nodded his head, trying his best to pay attention to both Rin and Seijuurou. His golden eyes scanned around when his brother stopped speaking, before he glanced back to Rin. "I'm excited! Sei said that he'd be putting me with you and Yamazaki, too." Momo grinned excitedly as he spoke and huddled up to Rin and Sousuke when the rest of the party began to group together.

"So, we're watching over the new kid?" Sousuke spat out almost irritably. "You'd think Mikoshiba would want to train his own brother." The taller man rubbed the back of his neck with a frown before he turned back to Rin and Momo. "It's nice to meet you, though. I hope we can work well together." Sousuke smiled nicely and held out his hand, shaking the beta's.

"So we're going straight north, huh?" Rin asked as he began walking forward, trudging through the deep snow. "There's a big clearing there, so it'll be good for your first time, Momo."

As the groups made their way into the forest, splitting up and parting ways, Rin led Momo and Sousuke to the northern clearing, eyeing the area and rounding their way over to the side of a small, rocky mountain.

"We'll be here for a while, I think." Sousuke huffed and climbed up until he reached a rather large, open plain of stone to settle himself onto. "Doesn't look like anything's been here. The snow's completely untouched."

Rin and Momo settled behind Sousuke and leaned against the wall of the mountainside. "That's fine. It gives us more time to relax, at least." Rin chuckled and propped up his spear beside himself before he snuck a hand around Momo's waist.

"You could also explain stuff to me." The beta added, shifting a bit closer to the alpha. "I mean, I get how to use the bow and arrows, but..." Momo laughed nervously. "I don't know what else there is to hunting."

Sousuke dangled his legs off the side of the cliff, leaning back on both arms as he watched for any deer or anything else that may wander their way. He tuned out the background noise of Rin and Momo's chatter and focused only on the task at hand.

Rin cleared his throat and crossed his legs, brushing some snow off of his pants. "Well, first you should know that each of us have a job to do. Sousuke is the strongest, so he handles anything close up and deals the final blow that kills our prey." The alpha started, and smiled. "I'm the tracker, and I lead the group everywhere. That space cadet over there couldn't find his way back to camp even if you put signs up to lead him back."

Momotarou laughed at that, kicking his feet lightly against the rock as he attempted to quiet himself down. "Do you do anything else?" He asked.

"I do, sometimes." Rin shrugged. "I usually attack first to help Sousuke out, and I'm also normally the one looking out for prey and locating them." The alpha added. "Your job is going to be pretty easy. You stay put at a high place and watch out for anything coming our way, that way Sousuke and I can focus more on the ground." He said finally.

"Oh!" The beta's eyes widened a bit and his smile grew wider. "So that's why I have arrows! I get to shoot things from above and you guys get it from below. I got this now, this'll be easy!" Momo crossed both arms and puffed his chest out proudly, making Rin laugh.

"It seems easy until you're actually doing it. Like right now." Sousuke turned his head before he stood up. "There's some bison coming this way from the other side of the clearing, probably looking for something to eat."

The orange eyed beta gasped excitedly and stood up. "Bison?! I've never seen one up close! This is so cool!" Momo bounced up and down while Sousuke made his way down the side of the cliff again.

"Chill out, kid. If you get too loud they're gonna hear you and you'll scare them away." Sousuke huffed. "There's a rock shelter down here, so I'll be waiting inside it. Get a few hits into whichever one and I'll finish it off, okay?" He didn't wait for a response before he dropped down and made his way into the small cave at the base of the mountain.

Momotarou quieted himself and looked at his feet before he sat down where Sousuke previously was. He held his bow in his lap and set the quiver on ground next to him. "Ahh, now I see them." He hummed, pointing to the unusually small herd making it's way toward the clearing.

Rin moved to sit behind the beta, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist. "Hey, I know you're upset." He mumbled, nuzzling Momo's neck. "Don't take it personally. Sousuke isn't used to hunting with someone talkative, so it'll take time for him to get used to it." The alpha said, kissing the beta's cheek.

Momotarou bit his lip and huffed. "Sorry... I'll work on being quiet from now on." He shook his head and blushed when he felt a kiss on his cheek. "Rin, you can't do that while we're out here..." The beta whispered, turning his head only to be met with a hard kiss. "Rin...!"

"Shh, it's fine. Sousuke can't see us and no one else is around either. We're A-Ok." Rin gave a final kiss onto the beta's lips before he patted both hands onto Momo's thighs. "Okay, nock an arrow and I'll tell you when to aim." He instructed, pointing to the quiver.

Momotarou did as he was told, holding the arrow in place on the bow as he watched several bison huddle around in the center of the clearing. "What next?" He asked, turning to Rin.

"Check which way the wind is blowing." The alpha said as he pulled a hood over his head, doing the same to Momo. Rin held his hand out, staring intently at the fur on the sleeve of his jacket before placing his hand back down. "It's blowing east, so aim west."

Momo nodded and propped up the bow, bringing it west before Rin's hands tilted it back. "Didn't you say west?" The beta asked with a pout.

"I did, but not that far. It's only a breeze, so you only need to be a little off center." Rin explained as he pressed his chest closer to Momo's back, holding his arms steady. "Which one looks weakest?" The alpha asked, mouth pressed close to the beta's ear.

"The center one." Momotarou answered slowly, and smiled when he felt Rin's lips curve against his skin. "Was I right?"

"Mmhm. Now, the tricky part if gonna be actually hitting it. There's several herding around it, so what do you do?" Rin asked as he watched the giants beasts move around, digging in the snow with their hooves to find grass to eat.

"Aim above it?" Momotarou's answer sounded more like a question, and his shoulders rose up a bit in nervousness. "Maybe, um... Wait for an opening?"

Rin chuckled and rested his chin on Momo's shoulder. "Aim up just a bit and put some slack in the shot. Pulling back too far will send it flying past the bison." He explained, and moved the beta's hands slowly until it was in a satisfactory position. "Now, pull the arrow back, but don't shoot."

The beta nodded and tugged back the string and the arrow, biting his lip in an attempt to stay focused and calm. "Is this too far?"

"No, it's perfect." Rin smiled and sat back.  "Now you can let go. I'm sure it'll be a good hit." He ruffled Momo's hair and hummed, watching.

Momotarou took a deep breath and released the arrow, a surge of worry coursing through him as the bison he aimed for began to move. The arrow connected with the beasts back leg, and an audible crack could be heard from his and Rin's perch on the cliff. The animal fell with a pained groan while the surrounding bison began to flee into another part of the clearing, not seeming to care for their injured friend.

"Good job, hun." Rin pat Momo's back and pulled him in for a kiss, grinning happily as the beta returned the kiss excitedly. "Now we just gotta wait for Sousuke to do his thing." He said and sat back once again, watching as the injured bison attempted to hobble away with it's broken leg.

The two of them watched as Sousuke snuck around, close against the mountainside. Momo gaped when the stronger alpha made a quick break for the now moving animal, catching up to it easily and aiming right for it's bad leg.

"He's so cool!" Momo clapped his hands and smiled wide as Sousuke beat the creature down easily, the final blow being dealt to it's throat with the use of the alpha's spear.

"You know, you're the one who made it easy for him to do that. If you ask me, you deserve most of the credit." Rin shrugged and stood up, helping Momo as well before making their way back down the side of the cliff to meet up with Sousuke.

"Good work, Mikoshiba." Sousuke pat the beta hard on his shoulder before he handed him his bloodied spear. "Rin, help me carry it." The alpha almost demanded as he moved to lift up it's front legs.

Rin groaned and handed Momo his spear as well, making his way to the back and lifting up the bison's legs. "Shit, this thing is huge." The redhead pouted as he and Sousuke began dragging it back to the path they had originally come from, Momo following close behind.

After several minutes of walking and Rin arguing with Sousuke over which direction to go, the group eventually made it back to the camp with bison in tow.

"Sei! Look what we got!" Momotarou bounded over to his alpha brother with a grin, pointing back to the alpha's behind him.

The older Mikoshiba whistled, eyebrows raised a bit. "Good job, guys! Hang 'em up and skin it, and don't forget to remove the horns." Seijuurou called and laughed at the groaned that came from the younger alphas.

As Sousuke hung the bison up onto the skinning hook as Rin placed a large bucket and set some metal tools onto a wooden table beside the taller alpha. Rin sat back and watched at the dark haired man expertly began to skin the bison.

"Rin! Sousuke!" A voice called from behind them, and the red haired alpha turned to see Makoto and Rei both carrying an elk on their shoulders. "Whoa! That's a big one." Makoto smiled and sat their kill onto the ground. "Good work today."

"Good work to you too, guys." Rin smirked and looked at the elk. "Nice mark, musta killed him instantly. Who did it?" He alpha looked up and smiled when Rei adjusted his glasses nervously.

"Rei's aim has been getting better lately." Makoto grinned proudly and pat the blue haired beta on the shoulder. "He actually did that with a spear, though. Kisumi had the bow today and kept missing all his shots." The brunette alpha sighed and looked over to where the other beta was standing, chatting up Momo.

Rei looked down to his feet and sighed before he walked over to the elk, hoisting it up and onto the hook to begin skinning it. "It's because I didn't explain how to use it right, that's why he kept missing." The beta sighed as he slowly skinned the animal.

"Rei, don't blame yourself." Makoto sighed and sat down beside Rin. "Kisumi just never used a bow before, that's all." The alpha smiled warmly at the younger beta as he worked. "At least be proud of what you did today. I've never made such a clean cut before in my life."

Sousuke looked over with a hum. "Ryuugazaki, good work today." He smiled a bit when the beta froze for a short moment.

"Th-thank you, Yamazaki." Rei took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Good work today, to you too." He said with a smile before returning to his work.

"Ai told me about you, said you were a good guy." Sousuke hummed and pulled the pelt off the bison he was skinning and set it into the bucket at his feet. "I also heard that a lot of people give you shit, so let me know and I'll give them a good talking to." The teal eyed alpha smiled back to Rei with a thumbs up before going back to his bison.

"Ai?" Makoto blinked and smiled some. "Ahh, you know him?" The brunette asked, holding his arms around himself to keep warm.

Sousuke hacked off a horn and dumped it into the bin as well before turning to look at Makoto. "Mmhm. I'm Ai's mate." He said and frowned when Rei and Makoto both stared, open mouthed and wide eyed. "What?"

"Ai is notorious for turning down every alpha and beta who ask to court and mate him." Makoto laughed. "My omega always tells me that he thinks Ai won't ever make up his mind on someone. I'm guessing you must have gotten together pretty recently, then?"

"Yeah, two days ago." Sousuke nodded. "He's sweet, and we have a lot in common." The alpha smiled warmly and hacked off the second horn. "We'll be married next month, so I hope I can court him a lot more before then."

"Don't do that while smiling, it's weird." Rin made a face and growled when Sousuke kicked his leg. "Ehh, well if your date yesterday was as good as you made it sound, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"You think so?" Sousuke sighed and sheared off some of the fur from the head of the bison. He hummed to himself as he pulled the bison off the hook and set it down onto the table. "Rin." The alpha looked to the redhead as he began lifting the top half of the huge animal.

"Got it, got it." Rin frowned the lifted the tail end, helping Sousuke carry the creature to the cart. "At least you shaved off some weight. Maybe my spine won't snap in half after all." He grumbled as they walked.

"Makoto." Rei looked at the brunette alpha, blinking his lavender eyes slowly. "Tomorrow's my last day here, so... It was good working with you this past year." The beta smiled, trying his best to cover up his sadness.

Makoto frowned and looked back down before standing. "It isn't fair that you can't stay, Rei." The alpha huffed and stood up to help the beta move the elk to the cart. "Just because we have stupid laws, you and Nagisa have to suffer. It's stupid and isn't fair at all."

Rei sighed and set the elk into the cart with Makoto's help, frowning a bit when other alphas around them began whispering and snickering until he walked away. "But, it's only natural that they hate me. They don't know the situation, why Nagisa and I did it, so I can't get upset at them." He said as he walked back with Makoto.

The brunette stayed quiet as he followed the beta, frowning deeply and sending a threatening glare to anyone who pointed or stared for too long. "You're not a bad person, though. Why can't they at least see you for who you actually are, and not for something they think you did?" Makoto sat down onto a bench and sighed. "I just don't get it."

Rei shrugged and sat beside the alpha, smiling a bit. "It doesn't bother me. Sure, I guess it sucks that I can't hold a job for too long, but as long as I have Nagisa, I'm happy." The beta spoke, a dreamy sigh passing his lips. "He tells me that every day. We just need each other, and that's all."

Makoto stared at Rei for a moment, emerald eyes glowing. "Rei... You and Nagisa really are something else, huh?" The alpha laughed and waved when he saw Rin and Sousuke make their ways back over. "It must be tough, but I suppose that as long as you're both happy, that's really all that matters. I'm sorry I got so upset." Makoto sighed and rubbed his face, leaning back on the bench.

"It's fine, Makoto. Thank you for worrying about me, though. I understand why it would make you so upset." Rei smiled and stood up. "We should get back to hunting, though." He said, patting down his pants.

"Heading back out so soon?" Rin asked and he and Sousuke met up with them finally, taking a seat at another bench close by. "There's still a few packs that are out, so rest for a while. There's mo rush." The red haired alpha shrugged.

Rei nodded slowly and sat back down, sighing softly. "Sorry, I guess I just have a lot of energy today." The beta said, adjusting his glasses again.

Rin shrugged once more. "That's fine, just don't wear yourself out too soon." He laughed and crossed his legs and lean forward. "So, Makoto, Rei, how's married life been these days?" He asked with a grin.

"It's been good, I suppose. The same as always." Makoto shrugged and laughed. "Oh! But, Haru might be pregnant." The alpha added, a bright smile appearing on his face.

"Really? That's good!" Rin grinned and looked at Rei and Sousuke, who were also smiling. "Right? I mean, you've been trying for pups for almost two years by now."

"Well, Haru missed his heat last week, so we're hoping it's not just a one time thing. He didn't want to tell anyone yet, but I'm just so excited that I can't not tell anyone, y'know?" Makoto sighed happily and swayed from left to right in his seat. "He's meeting with a doctor today, actually. I'll find out once I'm home." He added.

Sousuke smiled and folded his arms over his chest. "I'll be sure to make something for the pups, if he is pregnant. I've got some pelts at home I can use." The taller alpha said, and grinned wider when he saw Makoto's face light up even more.

"Ahh, this is so exciting! The moment we find out, I'll let you guys know." Makoto could hardly keep himself still as he continued to talk on and on about his and Haruka's plans for their child.

The others listened, smiling and pitching in a thought or two every so often. That went on for almost an hour before all the packs went back to hunting, Sousuke and Rin parting ways with Rei and Makoto to continue on with their work in the snowy weather.

...

Late afternoon rolled around quickly and all the hunters soon left to their homes. Sousuke smiled as he made his way down the snow-covered streets in the direction of the Nitori residence.

As the young alpha neared the house, he spotted his mother and Ai's father outside the front door, talking on the porch.

Sousuke jogged toward them and smiled, greeting Ai's father with a polite bow. "Why're you outside?" He asked, stepping to the door.

"No! No, no, no." Sousuke's mother smacked his hand away from the door knob and bared her teeth with a growl, forcing her son back and onto his knees. "You can't go inside. Aiichirou went into heat just a few minutes ago, so we came out here while his mother got him into a heat room."

Sousuke gaped, eyes wide. He struggled to stand back up and made sure to stay out of arms reach from his mother, who was noticeably agitated. "Is it bad?" He asked, head low as he spoke.

"It happens at the beginning of each month, but it isn't too serious." Ai's father spoke up, also standing a reasonable distance away from the alpha woman. "I'm surprised, actually. It was pretty tame for the first day. Past heats of his have been much, much worse." He sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned against the railing of the porch.

Sousuke nodded slowly and stared the door, window, and anywhere else he could look on the house. Suddenly he was filled with anxiety, hands balled into shaking fists at his sides. "So, he'll be fine? That's good, I heard some heats are really painful, and I would have felt awful if he wasn't okay." The alpha spoke quietly, biting his lip and starting to lace around the porch.

Sousuke's mother frowned, eyes narrowed at Sousuke. "I understand that's you're nervous, but calm down. Getting worked up will make it worse." He sighed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just glad it happened before you got here. If you had been in the room when it started, I couldn't imagine what would have happened." She spoke slowly, her teal eyes meeting Sousuke's. "Hell, your father almost couldn't control himself."

Sousuke's brow knit and he growled low, backing away before his mother had the chance to snap at him. "Is he still here?" He asked, looking around. "I didn't see him on the way here. Did he go home?"

"He did. I nearly bit his head off because he threw such a big fit, it was ridiculous." The woman spoke, lip twitching in irritation. "I swear. Alpha males are so childish. I'm glad I'm a woman, because I'm not nearly as sensitive to omega heats as you are." She shook her head and huffed, walking down the steps of the deck.

Sousuke followed after her, but stopped when she turned around. "Tell your wife that I'm sorry, but I have to go home as well. We can finish up the planning once Aiichirou is off his heat, so just stop by and let us know." The alpha woman smiled apologetically and bowed before continuing on her walk home.

"Sousuke." His mother broke the silence halfway into their walk home. She turned her head and smiled. "Could you please go to the market for me? We also need firewood." She hummed, nodding over to the market as they walked by.

Sousuke nodded and made a turn. "I'll be home later, mother." The black haired man smiled and waved his hand as his mother continued walking, and waited until she was out of sight to step into the market, purchasing some meats and wood before heading home slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used Ai's heat as a way of spending more time focusing on other characters and pairings (so the next chapter will not be focused on Sou and Ai at all). 
> 
> Also even tho Kisumi didn't have any lines, he was mentioned, and he is a beta like Rei and Momo!


	5. Chapter 4 (EXTRA)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MakoHaru centric bonus chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know I just updated a chapter a couple hours ago.
> 
> Do I care? No!
> 
> Have some makoharus! (throws extra at you)

"Haru! I'm home!" Makoto called as he stepped into the house, toeing off his boots and shedding himself of his jacket to hang up in the closet.

Haruka ran straight into Makoto, the omega's deep blue eyes staring right into his alpha's green ones. "Makoto...!" The man bit his lip to keep himself from smiling, but failed. A big grin worked it's way onto his lips and he hugged his mate tighter.

Makoto stared at Haruka in confusion, but when he saw his beloved mate grin like he did on the day of their wedding, the alpha couldn't help but smile widely as well. "What did the doctor say? Are you really...?" The brunette's eyes widened when Haruka nodded quickly.

"She says I'm over a month along." Haruka smiled as he spoke, a hand moving down to set lovingly on his belly. "Makoto, I'm... I'm so happy." The omega sniffled quietly as tears worked their way into his eyes, the smile never leaving his lips.

The alpha wrapped both arms around his mate, cooing softly into Haruka's neck as they rocked from side to side. "Haru...! Th-this, this is really big! I have to tell my parents, and your parents, and...!" The taller man was silenced by a pair of thin, soft lips.

Makoto leaned into the kiss and hummed happily as they hugged, standing in the doorway. "Come on, let me make you something." The brunette spoke after they pulled away.

The two walked hand in hand to the kitchen, Haruka sitting down at the table with a small smile and a blush. "Makoto, will you make me some soup?" The omega asked sweetly as he watched Makoto rifle through the cupboards, pulling out various ingredients.

"Of course, Haru." The alpha beamed widely as he began making what recently became Haruka's favorite meal.

...

The two sat together at the table, eating their soup and drinking their tea quietly. Haruka hummed as he ate, chewing the soft noodles and drinking the broth once it was the only thing left in his bowl.

The omega stood up and walked back to the pot to pour himself more of the soup, humming to himself still.

"On your second bowl already? Usually you only have one." Makoto blinked as he stood up to give himself another serving as well. "Didn't you eat anything else while I was gone?" He asked, almost worriedly.

Haruka shot Makoto a glare before sitting back down to continue eating. "Makoto, I need to eat for the pups too." The omega explained after his first spoonful of noodles. "If I don't, then wouldn't that be a problem? They need food, too, so I'll be sure to eat enough for them as well."

Makoto grinned, sitting back down as well. "I didn't even think of that... But, be sure you eat more than just soup. You need protein and all sorts of other things, too." The alpha said, continuing to eat.

"I will, don't worry." Haruka sighed. "The doctor gave me some papers she wrote up for me, about the pregnancy. I think the only thing that's important to keep in mind is that, I'm going to need a lot of attention." The omega said again after a few more bites. "You'll need to be home more often later on, then."

The brunette nodded and moved a hand to rest on Haruka's, holding it tightly. "I'll be sure to help you as best I can. I'll look over the papers too, once we're done eating." He nodded, smiling still.

They fell back into a comfortable silence after that, the two of them nearly clearing out the pot of soup before turning into bed.

...

"Haru." Makoto pulled his shirt off with a smile and looked over to his omega, laying on their bed in his favorite pajamas. "I love you."

Haruka blushed and turned, hiding his face into a pillow. "I love you too, dummy." The omega smiled and chuckled when he felt the heavy weight of his alpha on the mattress, dipping into one side. "I've been thinking of names all day. For the pups." Haruka said after a moment, curling up beside his shirtless lover.

"Oh? Anything good?" Makoto asked as he wrapped an arm around Haruka, staring at him with a smile. "I've always liked flower names, personally." He added with a laugh.

"Mmh... We've got similar taste, huh?" Haruka laughed as well and pulled up the blankets a little higher. "I was thinking of Hinata. For a boy or a girl, it doesn't matter." He said.

Makoto smiled happily. "That's beautiful, Haru! I love it, I really, really love it." The alpha sighed dreamily before he reached over to turn off their oil lamp, then rolled onto his side to hug his mate tightly.

Haruka nuzzled Makoto with a smile, his nose rubbing gently over the alpha's scent glands. "I was also thinking of Sumire. Maybe Sayuri, too." He said, quietly.

"They're all beautiful, Haru." Makoto sighed dreamily. "Mmh, then I'll think up some more boyish names, okay? Flowers are more for daughters." The alpha laughed and closed his eyes, relaxing as Haruka scented him. "Gonna fall asleep if you keep doing that, Haru...!" He chuckled softly before he was cut off by a yawn.

"Go to bed, then. You have to be up early again tomorrow for hunting, don't you?" Haruka shook his head slowly and nuzzled his face into the alpha's chest. "Good night, darling. I love you."

"I love you more." Makoto spat out tiredly, hugging Haruka tightly before he began dozing off again. "G'night, see ya in the morning..." The alpha yawned as slowly drifted off, mumbling nonsense that Haruka couldn't make out.

The omega soon, too, drifted off comfortably, wrapped up in Makoto's arms with thoughts of their future pup or pups. Haruka smiled widely as he fell asleep with a content sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok imma be real for a second. I only wrote this and posted it so soon is because I wanna get back to my lovely souais as soon as possible.
> 
> Also I feel like I gotta add more on the other ships as well because I have them tagged but they're only mentioned for the most part. Next up is gonna be reigisa!


	6. Chapter 4 (EXTRA 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (uploads three chapters in one day) what's good fam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short reigisa bonus chapter ehehe

Rei wandered around the house for a few minutes, smiling as he spotted the small space occupied by crops that Nagisa had planted. The beta was pleased to see that the sudden snow didn't knock down the tent he pitched over top of it the night before.

The bespectacled man also gave a quick once-over to their shed, making sure no snow had founds it's way inside and dampened the wood he cut for the fire place. Rei stood back and looked around, standing in the center if his backyard.

The house was small, the yard even smaller. The neighbors were nasty and the trees were few on their side of town.

But, the blonde omega peaking his head out the back window made everything okay. Nagisa waved his hands at Rei, grinning stupidly with wide, magenta eyes.

Rei smiled as well at the sight as he made his way to their house. "I'm home." The beta laughed when Nagisa pounced onto him the moment he stepped through the door. "Did you make dinner already? Something smells really good." The beta asked while undoing the laces of his boots.

"Not dinner, no." Nagisa shook his head and happily took his mates scarf into his hands, wrapping the warm cloth around his neck with a smile. "I tried making a pie! It's apple." The omega added while Rei hung up his jacket.

The beta blinked behind his red glasses, smiling warmly. "Can I try it? You don't usually cook, and it smells amazing." He padded into the kitchen behind Nagisa, watching in awe as his mate cut a piece of the pie out.

"I hope it isn't too sweet." The blonde sighed as he played the slice with a fork, sitting perfectly and still a little warm. "I hope you like it, Rei-chan!"

Rei blushed, grinning happily as he moved to sit at their small, two person table. He eagerly cut into the slice, jaw nearly dropping at the way it cut so even and smooth through the apple bits inside. Finally, the beta put it into his mouth and his eyes widened a bit.

Nagisa stood beside him, wringing his hands into the pretty, yellow skirt he wore. "Is it... Bad?" He asked, magenta eyes filling with tears when the beta wouldn't look up. "It is bad, I knew it! I'm sorry, Rei-chan!"

"It's perfect, Nagisa!" Rei exclaimed, grinning wide and pulling the omega into a tight hug. "It's perfect, I've never eaten anything better before in my life."

"Really?" Nagisa rubbed his eyes and looked down at his blue haired mate, blushing and smiling happily at how Rei proceeded to devour the rest of the pie on his plate.

"It was really, really amazing." Rei nodded and stood up to put his plate into the sink, rinsing it off with a hum. "You'll have to make more some day." The beta beamed.

"I definitely will!" Nagisa gave a salute and giggled when Rei's strong arms lifted him up, spinning them both around. "Rei-chan, I'm gonna get dizzy!"

"Sorry, sorry." The beta placed the omega back down, but still held him close. "I love you, Nagisa." Rei whispered, nuzzling the blonde's cheek. "Everything you do makes me so happy."

Nagisa smiled, purring quietly as Rei spoke. He nuzzled into the beta's neck and kissed it a few times before stepping back. "I love you too, Rei. To be honest, I don't think I'd be happier with anyone else in the whole world."

They stood there in each other's arms for a long while, magenta staring into lavender.

After what almost felt like years of comfortable silence, Rei sighed and turned his head to look at the kitchen. "I should make dinner before it gets too late." He smiled and leaned down to kiss the shorter blonde. "Want to help?"

The omega grinned excitedly and bounced into the kitchen beside his mate, clinging to Rei's arm as he happily shouted "Yes! Yes!" over and over again.

The two then spent the evening together, cooking up a delicious meal with what good meat they had left in the freezer. They ended the evening together, eating dinner and talking about this and that and anything that could possibly come to mind.

An hour or so later, they found themselves laying in bed, tangled up in each others arms and the blankets as they peppered kisses everywhere kisses could be placed. Rei whispered strings of I Love You's against the omega's spine, tracing every little bump with his lips. The fell asleep like that; Nagisa on his stomach and Rei pressed close to his side, head resting on the omega's lower back.

They were happy, regardless of their situation. Nagisa brought out the sunlight whenever Rei thought there wasn't any. His smile dragged the beta out from the deepest parts of depression, and made everything better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both extras take place during the end of chapter four, when Sousuke found out Ai was in heat. So it's all taking place around that time on the same day lol


	7. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the end here....! Sorry it took so long D;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is gonna be over soon :( I'm so sad..... There won't be too many more chapters so I'm gonna take some time finishing this one. It may get extended to 12 chapters, depending on how long or short I decide to make these chapters.

A week had gone by since Sousuke had stopped by Ai's house last. The alpha stressed and worried the entire time, but never let his performance drop during his hunts.

The day before he had taken down a particularly large deer, proudly butchering it before it was sent off to the market. He purchased a good hunk of it as well with the intent to drop it by the Nitori household for Ai's mother.

Along the way to the house, Sousuke shifted a bag on his shoulder. Lately he had taken note of its soreness, but attempted to ignore it when he wasn't hunting.

Once he arrived, he knocked twice on the door and waited. He wanted to see Ai, but he had mo idea how long it would be before his heat was over. All he had planned was to drop off the meat and some presents for the omega.

The alpha was surprised to see Rin, of all people, answer the door. They stared at each other for a while before Rin stepped aside silently, allowing Sousuke in.

"What are you doing here?" Sousuke asked, trying his hardest to not sound irritated that his closest friend was in his mate's home.

Rin shut the door behind them and ran a hand through his hair. "Decided I'd stop by for a visit and help mom make some food." He laughed, hands on his hips. "Ai's off his heat now, though. He's upstairs taking a bath to get his heat scent off." He added as he walked back to the kitchen.

Sousuke toed off his snowy boots and set his bag to the side, shifting the packaged up meat in his hands as he followed Rin to the kitchen, where he greeted Ai's mother with a smile.

"Oh, now what's this?" The woman asked as Sousuke handed her the meat, completely wrapped in butcher's paper. "My, my. This'll last us a while, thank you my dear." She lovingly patted Sousuke's shoulder before shooing him and Rin away from her workspace.

"Rin told me that Ai is off of his heat?" Sousuke said, rather asked, with some curiosity.

"He is! It was good that you came by, because he's been wanting to see you." The mother answered with a hum.

"I came over just before he got into the bath. Helped air the place out a little bit." Rin said, watching as Sousuke grew a little more tense again.

"I see." The taller alpha nodded and glances over to the stairs, then back to Rin. "I've been looking forward to seeing him, so I'm glad I stopped by today." Sousuke smiled and perked up a bit when her heard the quick padding of footsteps on the stairs, and turned his head again to see Ai making his way to the kitchen.

The omega had this glow to him, and a slightly stronger scent of lavender to him, which caught Sousuke's attention. Ai always smelled like flowers and freshly baked cookies, but the alpha assumed this subtle change was due to his heat.

Either way, Sousuke couldn't look away from his mate.

"Sousuke!" Ai smiled widely and hugged the alpha tight around his shoulders, pressing his nose to Sousuke's scent gland and rubbing it a bit. He shivered at the strong, overwhelming scent of bon fire smoke and mulled cider, but purred when he felt Sousuke do the same to him. "I missed you." the omega hummed.

"I missed you, too." Sousuke's voice was unusually gentle and soft as he rubbed against Ai's swollen scent gland under his jaw. He deeply inhaled Ai's relaxing aroma, hugging his arms around the omega's lower back before moving to rub their necks together. "How're you feeling?" He asked as they pulled away from each other, both equally flushed.

"I'm feeling better." Ai nodded, seating himself in Sousuke's lap without really realizing it. "The bath I took really helped, too." He added, leaning against the alpha's chest and purring happily when the man's strong arms wrapped around his smaller body.

Rin chuckled softly, making the couple glance over to him. "You two haven't even been together that long, but you act like you're married." He said, smiling warmly. "That's good, though. I'm glad that you guys are so good together."

Ai blushed deeply and buried his face into Sousuke's chest. "I'm just in a touchy mood, don't tease me!" He pouted, looking back at the redhead, who was still grinning and chuckling. "I just got off my heat, okay?"

Sousuke smiled at Ai and kissed his forehead, hugging him close. "I kinda like this, actually." He said, and his breath hitched when ice blue eyes locked onto his own teal ones.

"Do you? Ahh, I was worried I was being clingy and annoying..." Ai sighed in relief and relaxes in Sousuke's arms.

"Not at all. I like being with you, so it's obvious I'd like cuddling with you." Sousuke said. "Oh, but I brought some stuff... So, I'll need you to get off my lap for a moment." The alpha spoke with a sigh, standing up as soon as Ai slid off his lap.

Sousuke quickly made his way to the front door to retrieve the bag he had dropped off there, opening it up and pulling out a blanket made of black fur. The alpha glanced over his shoulder when Ai and Rin had both stood behind him, watching.

"I made this for you," Sousuke started, handing the blanket to Ai. "As well as some other things. I made all of these while you were in heat." The dark haired man said as he stood up, handing his omega a leather jacket and a bracelet carved from bone.

Ai's jaw was dropping in awe as he took each gift into his arms. The bracelet was polished to a shine, and the jacket was embroidered with metal to create a gorgeous design.

"These are beautiful, Sousuke!" Ai grinned up at him. "Gosh, you made these for me? This jacket must have taken forever to make!" He said as he slipped it on, a perfect fit. He slid the bracelet onto his wrist and stared, smiling warmly. "You're too nice, Sousuke."

The alpha shrugged and leaned in to steal a kiss from Ai, smiling when the omega surged up and hugged him tightly, nearly dropped the blanket he had draped over his arm. "I'm glad you like them. I'd have made more, but I only had the time for these three."

"These are more than enough! Honestly, I'm happy with just these. They're incredible, Sousuke. I love them." Ai smiled up at the taller man, pressing their chests together before kissing him once more.

"You're both so sweet, it makes my teeth hurt." Rin laughed, bringing the couple out of their moment together. "Now that Sousuke's here, I think I should head back home. Gou is having Seijuurou over for dinner tonight and I need to help my mom butcher the pig." He said with a sigh.

"Aww, alright." Ai said sadly, pouting a bit as he pulled away from Sousuke. "I'll see you later, Rin! Tell them I say hi." He smiled and walked the red haired alpha ti the door.

"I will, no worries." Rin gave a toothy smile and leaned down to rub his neck against Ai's before walking out. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sousuke!" He waved.

Sousuke raised a hand up with a small smile, which dropped once Ai shut the door. "I had no idea you and Rin were so close that you scent each other." He said, watching Ai pull the leather jacket off to hang up neatly.

"We've been friends since before we both presented." Ai explained, leading Sousuke to the couch to sit down, coving them both with the blanket. "Rin and I started scenting each other after we presented, so it just became a habit. Why? Does it bother you?" Ai asked, staring up at his mate with wide eyes.

Sousuke shook his head and sighed. "Nah, it just took me by surprise. Usually only family or mates scent mark each other, so I guess I didn't expect you and Rin to do it too." He said. "I mean, we scented each other foe the first time earlier, so..."

"Ohh, so you're jealous?" Ai asked, laughing softly. "Don't worry, okay? Rin is like a brother to me. We're more family than anything else." He said.

The alpha nodded and slowly wrapped an arm around Ai's back, pulling him a bit closer. "Alright, love. I believe you, and I promise I wasn't jealous, okay?" He frowned a bit when Ai giggled at him, but allowed a laugh to escape him as well.

"Aiichirou, Sousuke!" Ai's mother called as she walked into the living room. "I almost forgot to tell you two! Your wedding is nearly done being planned out, and we've found a suitable house for the both of you." The woman smiled, clapping her hands together.

"I thought tue planning was going to wait until Ai was off his heat?" Sousuke's eyes widened a bit and he tilted his head.

Ai grinned widely and grabbed at Sousuke's sleeve, pulling him close. "Really? That's great!! I wanna see it so bad...!" The omega pouted and whined softly.

"Aiichirou, you'll have to wait for that." His mother laughed. "We were going to wait, but your mother was so impatient, Sousuke." She smiled. "She was very insistent on buying a larger house as well. It seems she wants a lot of grandchildren."

Sousuke smiled a bit and relaxed against Ai. "Mmh, I see. I was wondering why she was out and about so much lately." The alpha chuckled. "I'm excited to see it too, though."

"We'll be married in three weeks, huh..." Ai sighed dreamily, turning to look at Sousuke. "This is exciting! Oh, but..." The silver haired omega looked down for a moment before looking back up at his mother. "I'll be in heat during my birthday. Will I have to take a suppressant?" He asked, tone a bit worried.

His mother nodded slowly and smoothed down her apron. "Sadly, you will. If we were allowed to have you married sooner, we would, but we can't break tradition." She shrugged. "Sousuke, do you know how heat suppressants work?" She asked.

Sousuke shook his head slowly. "I mean, i know what they are, but I was never exactly taught how they work." He answered, hugging Ai tightly when the omega tensed up a bit.

"Well," the woman started. "they supress an omega's heat, as the name implies. Ai will have to take them twice a day until his birthday; once when he wakes up and once in the middle of the day." She explained. "He'll only take one the morning of your wedding, so once the ceremony is over, he'll begin feeling his heat start."

"Apparently they hurt." Ai frowned. "It backs up your heat and makes it more intense when you have it." He said softly. "I'm not excited to take them."

"I always assumed they just stopped the whole thing." Sousuke said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ai. You'll only need them for a few days though, right? Not the whole week?" He asked.

"Only three days." Ai's mother answered. "I've already got them ready, as well." She said, walking back to the kitchen. "Well! I must get back to cooking. You'll have a busy few weeks, you know."

Ai stayed quiet for a bit and sighed, leaning back against the couch before curling into Sousuke's side. The alpha let out a comforting coo as he held Ai tightly and ran his fingers through the omega's silky, silver hair.

"I'm sure it won't be too bad, dear." Sousuke smiled a bit, attempting to reassure the omega.

However, it had little to no effect on Ai. The omega only shrugged and curled in more, letting out nearly inaudible whines that made Sousuke's heart hurt. The alpha hummed happily when Ai climbed into his lap, allowing Sousuke to hug him tightly and soothe him with quiet coos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please contact me at ghoulishken.tumblr.com if you ever wanna talk about souai! Leave a comment if you have any questions as well :) thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DAMN BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE LATE UPDATES. 
> 
> Srsly tho. I never forgot about this fic, I just needed time to decide how many more chapters it'll be, and to plan things out. Sorry for the delay!

The days had become awfully busy now that Ai was finally off his heat. The Nitoris worked on moving things into the house where Ai and Sousuke would be living, and the Yamazakis did the same. 

 

Ai, however, spent a lot of his time holed up by himself. He'd been fitted for a dress for the wedding and picked out some jewelry with the help of his mother. Sousuke rarely saw the Omega once the moving started, and he assumed it must be because of his anxiety involving the heat suppressants.

 

With hunting and moving things from one house to the other, Sousuke didn't really have much of a chance to relax. His and Ai's mother dragged him along with his mate to look at furniture, but that was about as long as he'd been able to see the boy. He wished they had more time than three weeks, because that was too short a time to get everything done.

 

Though, at the end of the second week, Sousuke finally got a break. The Nitoris invited him and his parents over for dinner, and they all excitedly agreed. Ai's mother prepared a beautiful meal, quite large so that the Alphas had plenty to eat.

 

The parents had started up a lively conversation when Ai had come down from his room, and Sousuke felt a little hurt that everyone was so distracted by their work and everything else to really pay attention to the Omega. 

 

So, when Ai seated himself in the living room, Sousuke frowned and stood up to make his way over to his mate, sitting down close to him and wrapping a comforting arm around the boy's small shoulders. Their eyes met and the Alpha was pleased to the see the big smile that worked it's way onto Ai's face.

 

“I'm sorry I haven't gotten the chance to give you all my attention.” Sousuke started and gently ran his hand over Ai's shoulder. “It's been busy, I'm sure you know that, but I'm glad that now we can relax for a bit.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss the top of Ai's pretty head, inhaling the scent of his shampoo as he did.

 

“It's fine, I know you've been busy.” Ai leaned into Sousuke, resting his head on the man's chest before placing small kisses on the Alpha's neck. “It's been hectic for everyone. At least we can look forward to being wedded soon, right?” He giggled.

 

“Mmhm… we can spend all our time together, then.” The Alpha nodded. “I wish our parents would let us look inside the house, though. I kinda want to see how the decorating is going.” He chuckled, and blushed a bit when Ai nibbled on Sousuke's scent gland. “I trust them and all, but I'm still curious.”

 

“I understand. I want to see it too, but…” Ai looked up at Sousuke, smiling. “We'll get to see the house on our wedding day, when you carry me through the threshold.” The Omega's voice was dreamy and soft, it made Sousuke's heart skip a beat. 

 

“Come on you two, dinner is almost done!” Ai's mother called from the kitchen, then the to-be-wed couple excitedly hopped up to head over. 

 

Dinner was full of excited chattering, all regarding the wedding. Ai and Sousuke's mothers both ranted and raved about the house, all the furniture and the pictures they'd placed inside. Meanwhile, their fathers boasted about their expertly crafted end tables and dressers; which their mothers refused to buy due to their budget.

 

It was a nice dinner, and it only made Ai and Sousuke look forward to being married even more than before.

 

***

 

The end of the the next week came startlingly fast.

 

Sousuke was being fitted for his tux,  _ finally _ , and his father made sure it was up to the Nitoris standards before purchasing it. It was a sleek black with a white button up underneath. 

 

After that, though, it seemed like there was nothing left to do.

 

Everything for the new house had been bought and moved in, including the majority of Sousuke and Ai's clothes and belongings, so there was nothing else left in that regard. 

 

Sousuke and Ai's father both pitched in to get them some farm animals as well. A cow, several chickens, a goat, and two pigs. They figured that would be simple enough to start with, and the couple could trade or buy more after the wedding.

 

So, by now, it was just a waiting game. And, it couldn't go by quick enough.

 

The Alpha considered visiting Ai, but then he remembered that the Omega was starting his heat suppressants today. He decided it'd be wise not to bother him when he was so emotionally backed up.

 

So, he decided he'd go see if the pack needed him for a hunt. 

 

He'd arrived just in time to see Rin and Momo dragging a freshly killed elk through the deep snow and onto the skinning table, and the red haired Alpha grinned and waved excitedly. “Sousuke! I heard the wedding is in a few days, are you nervous?” He asked once his friend had gotten closer.

 

“A little bit.” Sousuke nodded, his lips in a shy sort of smile. “Ai said he needs to take some suppressants, though, and he sounded like he didn't want me around when he's all in pain.” He sighed, sitting down on a small stump, watching Rin begin to skin the elk. “I want to see him, but I don't want to bother him since he's probably resting.”

 

“Yeah, I'd leave him be.” Rin nodded. “A few years ago, on my birthday, he took some suppressants so he could give me his present in person and stay for dinner. I don't think I've seen him more miserable in my life, honestly.” He told the Alpha as he tossed the hyde into the bin beside him. “I kept telling him to go home, but you know Ai. He wants to make everyone happy, even at his own expense.” 

 

Sousuke frowned a bit, looking at his hands with a sigh. “Do you think I'll be a good mate? What if I can't provide for him?”

 

“You’re seriously doubting yourself?  _ Now _ of all times, too?” Rin rolled his eyes before hacking off an antler. “You'll be fine, Sousuke. You moved to this village not even like, two years ago? You've already climbed your way to the top of the pack, and you've got more than enough skill to work in practically any shop around here.  _ And _ you're an Alpha, who can get Ai pregnant so he can have pups. I think he'll be more than happy, okay?” The shorter Alpha was serious, and sounded somewhat annoyed as he spoke.

 

Sousuke thought for a moment, before nodding. “You're right. I'll be able to provide for him, but what if I can't be there like… emotionally? What if after we move in together, we find out we're not as compatible as we thought we were?” He asked, mumbling to himself and dragging his hands over his face. “God, I'm just so worried.”

 

Rin and Momo stared at each other with amused smiles before they turned back to Sousuke. “Well, right now it seems like you're fine. I think as long as you two communicate and trust each other, there's no reason anything could go wrong.” Rin said.

 

“I agree.” Momo nodded. “Ai doesn't seem like the type of person who could get angry for no good reason, so, y'know, as long as you don't mess up majorly you'll be fine.”

 

The brunette Alpha nodded again, letting out a sigh once more. “I'm just… so nervous. I want this to go right, and I want to make him happy and give him a good life.” He said. “Thanks, I needed the pep talk.” Sousuke grinned as he stood. “So, mind if I go on a few hunts with you guys?”

 

“Please,” Momo nodded, groaning loudly. “There's this bear, okay? We were tracking it all day, and we really need your help with it.” The Beta told him.

  
“Great, then I'll go grab my gear and meet you back here.” Sousuke jogged off, excited to pass the time with a good hunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me and send me asks on tumblr! Ghoulishken.tumblr.com (my main) and souais.tumblr.com (writing blog). Thank you so much for reading and being patient with my slow ass


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter you've all been waiting for. The one with the PORN.
> 
> I hope you enjoy ❤

The morning of January 4th came in the blink of an eye.

 

Sousuke hardly registered it when his parents had woken him to get ready for the ceremony, readying his tux and making sure he had it on correctly. The tie was tight, his shirt and overcoat were form fitting and hugged his muscles, and whatever product his mother put in his hair to slick back, keeping his bangs out of his face, was hardening and uncomfortable.

 

The Alpha was so, so nervous.

 

The trip to his and Ai's new home was fairly short, but he was  _ freezing _ the whole way there. The whole town had piled in for this, and Sousuke wondered if that was normal for this town. Back at his old home across the lake, weddings were more secluded.

 

Regardless, the Alpha made his way onto the porch and out of the snow, greeting the minister with a smile. It seems that everyone was growing a bit impatient with waiting, as they were shuffling in the snow and biting back huffs. He spotted Rin and Gou, happily smiling and waving at him from the crowd. He noticed others, like Rei and Nagisa, Makoto and Haruka, as well as Momotarou and Seijuurou. 

 

Then, Sousuke spotted Ai.

 

Ai, wearing a gorgeous white dress. Whiter than the snow, all lace and shimmering sheer fabrics. He held a bouquet of pink carnations in his hands, and lips were stained a matching color. 

 

The Omega's eyes met Sousuke's, and the smile on his lips was breathtaking.

 

Everyone turned to Ai when they saw him, and Sousuke completely forgot anyone was even there the moment he noticed his Omega walking through the snow and to their new home. Towards  _ him. _

 

Then he heard Ai's heels on the wooden steps, then smelled the scent of his perfume. Sousuke stared wide-eyed at the Omega, and Ai stared back up at him with equal amazed.

 

The minister clearing his throat to begin speaking was ignored by Sousuke, who could only focus on his beautiful bride. It wasn't until Ai turned back to look at Sousuke, that he noticed it was his time to speak.

 

“Sousuke,” The minister repeated, “do you take Aiichirou as your mate?”

 

A long pause when on, Sousuke realizing the weight of the next two words in this throat, bubbling up and ready to be spoken. “I do.”

 

Ai smiled, and when it was his turn, he whispered in the sweetest voice, “Yes, I do.”

 

They exchanged vows then, Sousuke reaching out to hold Ai's hands around the bouquet.

 

Nagisa leaned into Rei as they watched, his arm holding the Beta’s tightly as he sought out some warmth. “I'm so happy for him.” He whispered, to avoid drawing attention to himself.

 

From behind him, Haruka gently nudged the blonde. “They're about to kiss and mark, pay attention.” He smiled widely, a hand caressing his stomach - for his soon to be pups, most likely.

 

And he was right; Nagisa turned from Haruka just in time to see Sousuke slipping on a gorgeous garnet ring onto Ai's finger, before leaning down to kiss the Omega. 

 

Ai threw his arms around Sousuke's neck, and there were  _ aww's _ and some applauding until they pulled away. Ai tugged at the shoulders of his dress, until they hung off, and bared his throat for his Alpha. Sousuke took a moment, both hands skimming over the flesh before he moved in to bite his mark just below Ai's left scent gland.

 

The marking went by quickly, and Ai proudly turned to show off the bleeding flesh that'll soon scar, to everyone watching. Then, Sousuke unbuttoned his shirt and loosened his tie, bending down a bit to allow Ai to mark him, as well.

 

Ai's Omegan jaw wasn't as strong as Sousuke's, but the bite went in fairly quick. He held it for a moment, to be sure he tasted the blood that must be drawn for it to be considered an official wedding mark. He pulled back, smiling at the tiny bite he made on the middle of his Alpha's neck, and then they were kissing again.

 

Then the cheers began, everyone clapping and tossing up their hands to clap with joy for the newlyweds. 

 

***

 

Few people actually came up to congratulate Sousuke and Ai, but the ones who did were their closest friends. 

 

Makoto and Haruka had walked up first, the Alpha holding a neatly wrapped box in his hands. “It feels like it was only a week ago that you told us you were engaged, huh? Two months go by fast.” Makoto said, setting the present on a side table, that had several others already on it. 

 

Haruka quickly gave Ai a tight hug, smiling as he pulled away. “You'll love being married, and you'll be a good mother whenever you start having pups.” He said, cheeks flushed a light pink. 

 

“You sound like I'm leaving, Haru.” Ai giggled. “I'm not going anywhere, and we're all having pups together, okay? You, me, and Nagisa.” He looked over then, to see Nagisa happily weeping into the thick blanket he held in his arms.

 

“We need to visit each other every day, and make dinner together, and talk about  _ everything _ once you're all settled in, okay?” Nagisa asked, crowding Ai's space and pulling him into a hug.

 

Sousuke chuckled, but didn't miss the judging, skeptical stare Haruka gave him.  _ Did I do something to make him dislike me? _ He wondered, but shrugged it off. He was Ai's friend, so he won't let it bother him too much.

 

The Alpha turned to Makoto and Rei then, arms crossed with a smile. “Any marriage advice? Stuff I need to keep in mind or whatever?” He asked.

 

Makoto shrugged. “Just make sure Ai is happy. Be observant and considerate. I don't actually know what Ai is like as a mate, but Haru isn't very expressive about things, so I have to play guessing games a lot.” He laughed. “I doubt Ai will be that way, but if he isn't very straightforward or direct about something, be sure to ask and make it a priority to right whatever is wrong. It saves a lot of arguing.” 

 

“I'll keep it in mind, then.” Sousuke nodded, then turned to look at Rei, who was fiddling with his glasses. “You got anything?” He asked, trying his best to include the man who will no doubt be around as much as Nagisa will.

 

“I'd say…” Rei hummed in thought. “Just remember that Ai comes first in everything. I always put myself second, because I know Nagisa needs more care and attention than me.” He said. “You've got a wide set of skills and good standing around the town, but… always make Ai your priority.” 

 

“Well, that goes without saying.” Sousuke nodded. “It's good advice, though.” He smiled again, giving Rei a gentle bump on his shoulder. “Well, I think his suppressants are wearing off, so I'll probably head inside. Thanks for coming, I appreciate it.”

 

“No worries, we wouldn't miss this for the world.” Makoto said as he regrouped with Haruka. “Have a good honeymoon, you two.” He winked, and then the two were off.

 

“Aw, Ai's gonna get lose his virginity! I wish I could see.” Nagisa teased, but was yanked away by Rei. “Alright, alright…” he placed the blanket onto the table with a soft grumble, before following Rei back out to the snow. “I better the godmother of those pups you're about to out inside him, Sousuke!” The Omega called, and then the sound of him giggling slowly faded from earshot.

 

“Wow, is he always like that?” Sousuke asked, looking to Ai, who just nodded grimly. “I mean, he seems funny and entertaining, but it's gonna take some getting used to.” The Alpha said while gathering up the couple of presents on the deck’s table, and setting them inside as he pushed the front door open.

 

Ai started turning to follow Sousuke, but was stopped when he heard footsteps on the porch. He turned to see Rin, standing with a smile. “I was wondering where you went! My parents didn't come up either, so I was kinda sad when I didn't see you.” The Omega pulled Rin into a tight hug, which he happily reciprocated.

 

“Sorry, I was talking with someone and got distracted.” Rin chuckled as he pulled away. “Congrats, Ai. Sousuke’s lucky to have someone as amazing as you for a mate.” His voice got watery and a little bit muffled as tears pricked at his eyes. “God, sorry.” He turned, wiping the tears off on his sleeve.

 

“I can't believe you're crying.” Ai laughed. “That's something parents do, not friends, Rin.” He teased, pulling Rin to turn and look at him again. “Wow, you're such a sap.”

 

“Look, you're like family to me, okay? This is big, and also I can't believe you got hitched before me. You're kids are gonna be older than mine!” Rin took a deep, humorous breath and exhaled, hand covering his mouth. “Jeez, okay, I need to let you go back to your new hubby. Heat suppressants about to wear off, and all.” He hugged Ai one last time, kissing his forehead before nudging him to the door. “Go on, you're new life is in there.” 

 

Ai nodded, holding out the bouquet of flowers to Rin. “Give these to Momo for me.” He said, and the words surprised Rin, if his wide eyes and dropped jaw were anything to go by. “Yeah, I've known for a while. I'll see you in, well, probably a week.” He chuckled, taking his first step into his home. “Have a good night.”

 

The Omega shut the door quickly and held up the skirt to his dress with a sigh.  _ My new life _ . He liked it, craved this like all Omegas do, but he couldn't help but be nervous.

 

“Was that Rin?” Sousuke asked as he set the presents onto the beautifully made coffee table in the living room. 

 

“Yep. He started crying because our kids will be older than his.” Ai laughed, but then felt the slight twinge of heat in his abdomen. “He's happy for us.”

 

“I'm happy for us too.” Sousuke smiled. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, so much.” Ai's voice was high and soft, and he bit his lip when he noticed how needy he sounded. His first heat and his first time with Sousuke… he wondered how it'll feel.

 

“Ai, you should get out of that dress and into something comfortable. You'll be in your heat soon, right?” Sousuke asked, and Ai nodded.

 

“Actually,” Ai get his lips and felt his face grow hot. “I think it's starting right now.”

 

Sousuke blinked, then gaped, then stood up and started pulling Ai towards the stairs. “Here, I'll help you get out of that dress.” He said, steering Ai towards the master bedroom and shutting the door.

 

Ai, however, collapsed against the bed and breathed hard and heavy, eyes growing hazy and legs shaking. “Hot… help me get this off, it's too much.” He whined, tugging at the dress.

 

“Hold on, you don't want to rip it.” Sousuke said, reaching around and unclasping the back of the dress so it would slip off easily. It sat on the floor in a pool of fluffy skirt and lace, but the Alpha just kicked it towards the closet. “There, it's…” He stared at Ai, seeing the pretty corset and thigh highs his mate wore. “Wow.” Sousuke felt like all the air in his body escaped with that one word.

 

Ai was gorgeous, his long legs and wide hips mesmerizing. The shade of his pale skin being flushed by his heat, and the way his nipples were already hard, it made Sousuke's groin grow hot and twitch in his pants. 

 

“Alpha,” Ai whined. “I need you. I need your knot… please.” His back arched in the corset, and  _ fuck _ was it the most gorgeous thing Sousuke's ever seen.

 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, um…” Sousuke reached out to unclasp the corset and pull it off, revealing Ai's tight waist. “Shit… you're beautiful, Ai.” Next he yanked off the thigh highs, before finally standing and undressing himself as well.

 

Ai shifted in the bed, shyly watching as Sousuke's long, thick cock was finally exposed for him to see. It was so… sexy,  _ delicious  _ and hard. “A-aah… it's so big.” The Omega pushed himself to sit up when his mate seated himself back onto the bed, and he just couldn't stop staring. 

 

Their eyes met for a moment, Ai reaching out and running his thumb over the weeping tip, and Sousuke let out the softest shuddering breath. “Can I see you?” He asked, and Ai slowly spread apart his legs, putting his wet virgin asshole on display for his husband. “Oh my god… wow, you're beautiful.” 

 

The Alpha reached out and touched Ai's smaller dick, running his hand over it and then down to his balls, squeezing, before he let his fingers caress the slickened hole. “Sousuke,” Ai whined. “I want you to put it inside.” 

 

“Okay, but let me know if it hurts. I'll stop if I does, okay?” Sousuke pressed a finger inside, noted the way Ai's asshole suckled at the tip, before he pushed in a second. Ai only moaned loudly as fingers moved quickly, just barely grazing his prostate. He needed it, needed  _ more. _

 

“Push up, up…!” Ai lifted his hips, dick twitching as he tossed his head back. “Oh, ahh…!” His face grew darker when Sousuke worked his prostate with his fingers, massaging the gland and making the Omega see stars. “There! There! Ohh, fuck…! Oh, Sousuke, you're gonna make me cum…!!” He spasmed a bit, body falling limp on the bed as Sousuke watched, enraptured.

 

The Alpha stared wide eyed as his fingers were clamped down on and sucked hard by the velvety walls, seeing little strings of cum splatter on Ai's hardened tits, and watching as Ai panted and whined pathetically.

 

“That was sexy.” Was all Sousuke could even say.

 

Ai, however, wasn't done yet.

 

“Please, you need to knot me. Right now, I want it inside me, filling me up with all your cum and getting me pregnant!” Ai was nearly yelling with his need, head tossing from side to side. “Knot me, Sousuke, please…!”

 

“I will, I will.” Sousuke pulled out his fingers, resisting the urge to lick them clean, before he moved between Ai's legs and rubbed the head of his cock against Ai's asshole. “So I just…” he pushed it in slowly, moaning loud and long when the rim caught on the head of his cock. He went deeper, his mouth wide with breathless moans spilling.

 

“So big…!” Ai tossed his head back, whimpering. “Knot's gonna be so big… so good…” he licked at his lips as he watched Sousuke's fucked out face, even though he'd only just gotten the first inch inside.

 

The Alpha growled and moaned, his thick cock almost too fat to fit in. “You must have played with yourself so much, to be this loose.” The visual had him rolling his eyes back with a moan, making that perfect O-face. “Fuck… it's squeezing so tightly.”

 

“I had to play with toys if I wanted my heat to go over well.” Ai answered with a blissful sigh.  _ This is better than any fake cock I needed to use before. _ “It's so warm… and, oh…!” The Omega felt the press of Sousuke on his prostate once again, and the slip of skin against skin made the stimulation even better. “God, you're so big…”

 

Sousuke pushed in deeper and deeper, his arms shaking and hands gripping Ai's hips a bit harder. He moaned loudly when Ai clenched around him, his face flushing a deep red as he bent over to rest his head on Ai's shoulder. “I need a moment, hold on.” He panted. “Feels way too good…”

 

“That's okay, I…” Ai reached up and wrapped his arms around Sousuke's shoulders. “I can wait, if you need me to.” He purred, legs lifting up to wrap around his hips. “You're so warm.”

 

“Ha, you're the one who's in heat too. You're practically boiling.” Sousuke leaned up just enough to where his lips could meet Ai's, kissing him gently as he rocked his hips, pushing his cock in the rest of the way. He shivered, balls flush against Ai's ass and the Omega's dick leaking on his abdomen. “Fuck… never did I expect it to feel like this.”

 

Ai, blissed out and purring, only nodded in agreement. “So good, so big and…!” He let out a dreamy sigh, shuddering as his body adjusted to Sousuke's size.

 

“Should I move?”

 

“Please.” 

 

Then, with only some hesitation, Sousuke rocked back and then pushed forward, fully sheathing himself in Ai again. He repeated the movement, over and over, letting the smell of Ai's heat and his Alpha instincts take him over.

 

Soon, Sousuke was ravaging Ai. Kissing his Omega, all tongue and moans, while he rammed his cock against his prostate again and again. Soon, his knot was swelling up and threatening to push inside his mate.

 

Ai was crying out Sousuke's name, asking for his knot,  _ begging _ for it as he came over himself again. 

 

“Please, please… I need it, Sousuke…!” Ai cried, nails digging into the Alpha's back.

 

“It's okay, baby, it's coming.” Sousuke reassured with kisses and hard thrusts. “Fuck, oh my god… gonna knot you really good, okay? I love you, I love you…!” He gasped when his knot popped inside Ai, the rim tight around to keep it inside. 

 

Ai's lashes fluttered beautifully as he was filled to the brim, his jaw slack and letting out a series of short, ecstasy-laced moans. They held each other tightly as Sousuke's cum filled the Omega, feeling the hot and sticky liquid all throughout Ai's body.

 

It was  _ marvelous. _

 

They laid in silence, letting the knot do its job before it slowly deflated. Sousuke pulled out and flopped, exhausted, beside Ai.

 

“Amazing, holy shit.” Sousuke couldn't even keep his eyes open all the way, his jaw still trying to right itself instead of sitting slack. “And we get to do that for a week?”

 

Ai, however, lost most ability to speak. He made a soft, squeal-like noise, giggling, as he turned to look at his mate. “Mmhm, all week.” He whispered after a minute of trying to regain some of his composure. “Excited?”

 

“How could I not be?” Sousuke chuckled, pulling Ai close to his side and nuzzling him lovingly before dozing off.

  
  


***

 

Sousuke woke up with a smile on his lips and Ai in his arms, sleeping soundly. The Alpha glanced to the window, seeing the beginnings of the evening and the sun preparing to set. 

 

It was fairly dark in their bedroom, so the Alpha slowly got out of bed to turn on the oil lamps that sat on their nightstands and dressers. Sousuke glanced down to see his flaccid dick, still sticky from his knot earlier. After tucking Ai in and kissing his cheek, he wandered to the connecting bathroom to begin running a bath for himself.

 

The water was warm by the time he stepped in, and he sighed contentedly. Sousuke ran his hands through his hair and stared up at the ceiling, before grabbing the soap to begin washing himself.

 

He let his mind wander a bit as he lathered up his skin, eventually landing on the thought of being mated. Ai was all Sousuke could have possibly wanted in a mate. He was caring, loving, supportive. On top of that, Sousuke couldn't believe how beautiful Ai was. 

 

The Alpha smiled a bit, remembering their first time a few hours earlier. It was better than he could have imagined or dreamed of. Ai clearly knew his body, and Sousuke was all too excited to learn it as well. Maybe the Omega would be able to teach himself a bit about his body once he was off his heat and able to focus on something other than a knot.

 

Then that brought up another thought: do Omegas have sex if they're not in heat? Or do they only like it when they're in heat for that one week of the month? Sousuke was a bit confused, but he supposed being married would help him understand how Omegas work a bit better. 

 

Sousuke rinsed off his soap with a sigh, his eyes downcast. He really didn't know anything about Omegas, actually, now that he started thinking of it. He knew they had heats and bear children, but they're obviously more complex than that.

 

Ai isn't just something to make pups and bear litters for Sousuke. He never thought of him that way before, or any Omega for that matter, but that didn't stop him from thinking about all the Alphas who did see the Omegas that way. He got a little irritated, thinking of how disrespectful those people were.

 

Which, was why he now wanted to know all there is to know about Omegas. School only taught so much, and his parents were both Alphas, so Sousuke only knew the very bare minimum. Ai would be the perfect teacher once he finished his heat.

 

He was shaken from his thought process when he heard Ai padding into the bathroom, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “Hey, darling.” Sousuke said, watching his Omega seat himself onto the toilet. “Feeling alright?” He asked.

 

Ai nodded, yawning again. “Mmh, tired. Did we sleep into the next day, or is today still my birthday?” He asked, shivering a bit as the leftover cum inside him began to drip out. “Ah, I had no idea knots let out so much…” he mumbled with a small frown.

 

Sousuke chuckled and turned to lean on the edge of the tub. “Still your birthday, actually. Sorry, I didn't think I'd cum that much, either.” He said, but he still was staring at Ai with a dreamy smile. “Do you want me to make you something to eat before we go back to bed?”

 

“God no, my stomach hurts so I think I'll be fine.” The Omega said, looking at Sousuke with a small smile. “Thank you, though. Maybe I'll have more of an appetite tomorrow.” Ai slowly stood back up, wiping away the last of the cum dripping down his leg before he walked to the tub, stepping into the warm water and seating himself between his husband's legs. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.” Sousuke grinned, arms squeezing Ai close to his chest. “You aren't feeling your heat right now? Actually, I should probably just ask you how many times you'll need a knot each day.” He quirked an eyebrow when Ai blushed a deep red, turning his head away. “Something wrong?”

 

“Uh, well…!” Ai bit his lip. “I actually don't know how many times I'll need one. When I would stay in the heat room, I would use a toy that had a fake knot on it, and I usually put it in once an hour.” He told the Alpha. “Right now, though, I don't really feel my heat coming on at all. I wonder if it's because my body recognized that your knot was a real one, or something?” He shook his head and shrugged.

 

“Huh. It can tell when you're actually being knotted?” Sousuke tilted his head to the side a bit, watching as Ai grew a bit more flushed. “Maybe it's because I came inside you. Like, maybe it's just waiting so that way it can try to get you pregnant, so you won't need to be knotted once an hour.” He suggested, and Ai nodded slowly.

 

“Maybe. I'm not really sure, since you're the only one I've ever been with.” The Omega smiled. “Well, if it comes back, I'll just have to wake you up. For now, I think we can just relax.” he purred.

 

The Alpha nodded and leaned over to rest his head on Ai's, inhaling the smell of Ai's heat still stuck to his skin. “Do you want a lot of pups, Ai?” He asked. “Like, a big litter. Or would you rather just have one or two pups?”

 

“That's pretty sudden, Sousuke.” Ai giggled. “Mmh, but… I think I want a big litter. Our parents bought this house because it has so many bedrooms, right? So that's perfect for a bunch of pups.” He looked up at Sousuke, smiling happily. “What about you?”

 

“Me? I think I want whatever you want, doll.” Sousuke leaned in to nuzzle Ai, quickly scenting the side of his neck that his mark sat against. “I'd love a big family. We could have two litters if we try for pregnancy each heat you're in. Would you like that?”

 

After a moment, Ai nodded. “I want that. We'd have to be pretty lucky to have twins or triplets, though. And I'd have to wait a few months after having a pup so I can take care of it. So that's at least one a year, right?” The Omega reached over for the soap and began to lather himself up. “For one litter, it would take us six years. That's assuming I'm don't have twins or triplets, though. If you're up for it, I'll definitely want to try!” 

 

“I haven't really seen any larger families around that often, so I guess we'll kinda stand out, huh?” Sousuke laughed, running his hands over Ai's legs. “Two litters. That's, what? Twelve kids? Maybe we should shoot for just one and see where we go from there.” He suggested, kissing Ai's cheeks. “I bet it'll hurt to pop out twelve pups.”

 

Ai nodded, smiling and giggling. “I guess two litters is a little too unrealistic. One would be fine, too. Honestly, we could just have one pup and I think I'll be happy as long as it's with you.” The Omega quickly rinsed off the soap and then turned, a hand gently caressing Sousuke's chest. “I can't believe we're… married, and talking about children. For some reason, I always pictured that this would go by slower and that we'd have more time before… all this.” 

 

“I wish I'd gotten the chance to court you sooner.” Sousuke said. “Take you on more than that one date, be able to make you more things. I'm happy,  _ so _ goddamn happy that you're my mate, but I wish I could have won you over a bit more before we had to get hitched.” The Alpha sighed, touching his forehead to Ai's. “Either way, I'll do my damnedest to make you the happiest Omega in the world.” 

 

They sat like that for a while, the water eventually becoming cold and forcing them to get out. Ai and Sousuke stared at each other for a while, taking the time to fully take in the other's body. “Back to bed?” Ai asked, turning away once her felt some warmth brew in his abdomen. “I'm still a bit tired.” He added, starting to dry himself off. 

 

Sousuke grabbed a towel and began to pat off the water from his skin, nodding slowly. After they both discarded their towels, he quickly swept Ai up in his arms and carried him bridal style to their bed. Setting Ai down, the Alpha climbed over and kissed him deeply, before rolling to lay on his side. “Wake me up if your heat acts up, okay? I love you, goodnight.”

 

Giggling, Ai nodded and rolled on his side to kiss Sousuke. “Mmh, goodnight my love.” he whispered, purring when Sousuke's still damp hair dripped onto his warming skin, the two pressing close together. The Omega decided to let Sousuke rest a bit until his heat came back at full force, so he traced shapes and names on his Alpha's skin and pressed kisses to his chest.

  
A good hour later, he was shaking Sousuke awake, ready for another knot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! You can also send me asks at my tumblr blogs ghoulishken.tumblr.com (my main) AND souais.tumblr.com (my writing blog).
> 
> Thank you so much for reading ❤


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I take forever to update ;∆;

The week went by all too quickly. Sousuke and Ai spent all their mornings, noons, and nights in bed and tied together by the Alpha's knot. It was quite literally heaven on earth.

 

The two also quickly realized that each time Sousuke got a knot in Ai, the Omega kept craving more. His heat spells lasted longer and longer, needing at least four before his body would let him cool down and rest. 

 

So, by the morning of the first day off Ai's heat, the couple were tired and unwilling to get out of bed. However, Sousuke forced himself up to make his beautiful Omega a good and hearty breakfast.

 

Eggs, bacon, and some hashbrowns didn't seem like enough, Sousuke thought to himself as he stood in the kitchen. What else could he add to help energize his lover? He'd snooped around through the kitchen a few moments, spotting a container of mixed berries just ready to be eaten. He set some in a bowl, then placed everything on a tray along with a cup of citrus tea before he carried it back to the bedroom.

 

Ai was just beginning to stir when his Alpha had set the tray beside him, the smell of perfectly cooked food forcing him awake more. “Mmh, my love,” the Omega whispered sweetly, arm reaching out to pull Sousuke into a kiss. “Did you make all this for me?” He asked, sitting up.

 

“I did. I figured you'd want a big meal since you didn't want to eat much during your heat.” Sousuke said, smiling as he pushed some of Ai's messy hair our of his face. “So eat up, doll. I'm gonna go feed the animals out back.” He pressed a kiss to Ai's nose before he walked out the door and downstairs.

 

The Alpha quickly shrugged on a jacket and his boots before making his way outside, trudging through the deep snow to get to the barn. Sousuke made quick work of filling the empty troughs with feed and covering the cow and goat with a knitted blanket. 

 

As he stepped back outside, though, Sousuke spotted a tall Alpha with red hair walking to the house, and he chuckled when he realized it was Rin. “Hey! Rin!” He called, trying his best not to trip through the snow. “Here to see Ai?” He asked once the two were close enough.

 

Rin nodded, holding up something wrapped in butcher's paper. “That, and I wanted to give you two this. Kinda like a house warming gift, I guess? Momo and I got this massive bison, so I thought I'd take a cut and bring it here.” He grinned, sharp teeth and all. “Mind if I come in, or is Ai still in heat?” 

 

Sousuke smiled, gesturing Rin to the house. “It ended last night, so you should be fine. Ai's eating breakfast right now.” He told him as they kicked the snow off their boots, stepping inside. “Thanks for this, Rin. You didn't need to get anything, honestly.” 

 

“Well, I mean. I didn't get a wedding gift, so I wanted to make up for that too.” Rin laughed. “Nice place, it looks really cozy.” He said, wandering into the kitchen to set down the big hunk of bison meat. 

 

“Thanks, I think so too. Mine and Ai's dad made a lot of the furniture.” Sou seated himself at the kitchen table, messing with his hair a bit. “So, how's the pack been while I was away for the week?” 

 

“Horrible,” Rin chuckled. “They brought Rei back, but his last day was yesterday. I think it was just because you weren't available, which sucks for him because he really needs the spot there.” He sighed. “Sei hasn't been there often, either. Gou found out she's pregnant, so my whole family has been in a crisis since she's not married to Sei yet, which means their wedding is getting rushed.” He groaned, rubbing his face.

 

“Owch, sounds rough.” Sousuke said, glancing over when he heard Ai walking down the stairs. “Hi, baby. Rin came over to see us.” He smiled and purred when the Omega quickly sat in his lap. 

 

“I heard you two talking, so I wanted to come and be a part of the fun.” Ai said as he leaned back into Sousuke's arms. “Gou's pregnant, huh? I guess it's good she and Seijuurou were already engaged, or else they'd probably end up like Nagisa and Rei.” He sighed.

 

“Yeah, thankfully she's also a Beta, so no one's going to throw a huge fit over it.” Rin rolled his eyes and glanced around. “You guys needs to air this place out. If it were any other Alpha, they'd be knotting in their pants from how strong your heat scent is, Ai.”

 

“Oh! Yeah, I didn't even think of that yet.” Ai stood, going to the living room to open two of the windows to help ventilate. “Sorry, sorry. I'm just glad your body recognizes me as family more than a potential mate.”

 

“Yeah, or else I'd be punching you right now.” Sousuke frowned a bit, then he and Rin both laughed loudly. “Do you want anything to drink, Rin? I can made some tea.” He offered as he stood and moved to light the stove, reboiling the water left over in the kettle he used to make Ai's tea.

 

“Nah, I need to get back to the pack pretty soon.” Rin shrugged. “I just wanted to drop that off before I headed over, and to make sure Ai was fine after his first time.” 

 

“I am  _ more _ than fine, Rin.” Ai gave a sly wink in Sousuke's direction before sitting back down at the table. “I'll save you the details, but… I had no idea that knots were that big.” 

 

Rin's eyebrows knitted together for a moment before looking at Sousuke. “Can I get something for a size example?” He asked, voice low when he turned back to Ai. “I'm just saying, it shouldn't be much larger than his balls. Or are his balls just really big?”

 

Giggling, Ai held up his hands and laced his fingers together to make one big fist. “Imagine this, but a little bigger.” He told Rin, and the redhead's jaw dropped.

 

“You're lucky, kid. Any Omega would kill for that.” Rin told him with a laugh, some sort of mix between nervous and giddy. “Glad I don't need to worry about you getting knotted. I think you'll be fine.”

 

“So, will you two stop talking about my dick like I can't hear you, or am I gonna be involved in this conversation?” Sousuke chuckled, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. “By the way, it isn't that big. It probably just felt like it was bigger.” He shrugged.

 

“I don't care, babe. All that matters is that it felt  _ amazing _ .” Ai big his lower lip and sighed dreamily, which caused Rin to stand up and walk to the door.

 

“Feel free to fuck like bunnies, but I gotta head out.” Rin waved. “Also, a little creepy listening to Ai lust after my packmate. I'll bring back more goodies if we get another huge kill, okay? Take care, now.”

 

Ai and Sousuke waved as Rin walked out, door shutting behind him. “I didn't think the conversion was that weird, but, then again, I was the one getting knotted and not him. Maybe I'm just too happy to relive the whole week.”

 

Sousuke sat across from Ai with a warm smile, eyes soft and hands reaching out to hold Ai's. “I'm so happy I was able to give you a good first time. I promise, I'll try to be just as good for all your heats.” He said, leaning over to kiss Ai's cheek.

 

“Aw, Sou…” Ai giggled as the feeling of slight stubble on Sousuke's face against his cheek, before he turned to capture his lips briefly. “You don't need to try, I know that already.” He grinned. 

 

The kettle began hissing from the booking water, so the Alpha quickly stood and poured himself a cup with a bag of tea. “Did you finish your breakfast? Do you want another cup of tea?” He asked, spooning some honey into his cup. 

 

“No, actually I need to go grab that.” Ai laughed, shaking his head. “I heard you and Rin talking, so I came down to see. I was almost done though, I promise.” He quickly bounded up the stairs after that, leaving Sousuke to sit down at the table with a loving smile.

 

The Omega was back down in no time at all, shovelling food into his mouth before he even got to the table. “I love your cooking.” Ai said after swallowing. “And I especially like it now, since I haven't eaten much over the week.” He added.

 

“I'm happy you like it,” Sousuke started, reaching over to hold Ai's free hand. “I'll make you breakfast every morning from now on, then.” 

 

“You're too perfect.” Ai cooed, lacing his fingers in with Sousuke's. “Hey… I was thinking of something.” He set his fork down and stared at his mate, voice soft as he spoke. “I want pups. As soon as possible, I really want to have a big family and a home full of children. Are you okay with that?”

 

Sousuke nodded, his jaw tightening a bit to keep himself from grinning. “I want a lot of kids too. I think… I want at least five, because that seems like a good number to have.” 

 

Ai, however, wasn't able to hold back his smile. “I think five is good, too. I hope I'm pregnant from my heat, because I want to be a Mom so bad.” The Omega pouted and glanced down at his stomach for a moment. “My parents wanted a lot of kids too, but they only had me. Omegas don't get pregnant that easily when they're mating with a Beta, I guess.” He sighed.

 

“Well, good thing I'm not a Beta. Having children shouldn't be too hard, love.” Sousuke told him with a smile. “Though, I will need to work extra hard to make sure we always have food on the table. And to make sure we're always able to have clothes for them.” He added with a nod, once Ai went back to eating.

 

“My parents will help, too. I know my mom will be more than happy to make baby clothes again.” Ai said before he finishes off the last of his food. “And I'll make some, too.”

 

The Alpha smiled, messing with his hair when a slight blush grew on his cheeks. “Ah… this is exciting, isn't it? We're going to have a family, and be  _ parents. _ ” He said with a soft and dreamy sigh. “I never thought I'd ever find someone as perfect as you to be my mate, Ai.”

 

“I'm far from perfect, love.” Ai said, standing up to put his dishes in the sink. “But I agree. You're probably the best thing to happen to me, you know? You're so sweet and kind to me, you treat me with respect, and you're already such a considerate lover.” The Omega let out a soft purr at the thought. “I'm happy you're my mate.”

 

Sousuke stood up and moved to hug Ai from behind, kissing the back of his neck. “Darling, you're perfect to me.” He mumbled, then grinned when he heard Ai giggle. “Hey, how about we go for a walk around town? We can stop by the market and pick a few things up, too.” 

 

“I like the sound of that.” Ai nodded. “Being cooped up for a week isn't fun. Besides, I want to see Nagisa and see how things are.” He turned, placing his hands on Sousuke's chest before leaning up to scent his neck. “I'll go get dressed. I can't go out in pajamas, after all.” 

 

With an excited hum, the Omega was bounding off and up the stairs. Sousuke ran some water over the dishes before he turned to sit in the living room, admiring the decorating that his and Ai's mother's had done. The Alpha took in his surroundings now, fully appreciating it all now that he didn't have an Omega in heat to tend to. It was still a slight shock to him, that he was married man, who may even have some pups on the way if the Gods had that in their favor.

 

His thoughts were cut off by footfalls on the stairs, letting it be known that Ai had finished changing. Sousuke stood, smiling warmly at the way Ai tugged on an oversized sweater before shrugging on the jacket he had made the Omega as a courting gift. “You're so cute.” Sousuke said before he, too, pulled on his jacket. “So, to Nagisa's or the market first?” He asked.

 

“Market. I want to make Nagisa a nice, home cooked meal once we're over there.” Ai nodded resolutely while pulling on his winter boots. “I doubt he's eaten more than one meal all week. The poor thing… and I bet Rei's been sacrificing his meals to keep Nagisa fed. I swear, it's horrible the way people turn them into some sort of outcast.” 

 

Sousuke tilted his head a bit. “Do they really struggle that much? Ryuugazaki always made it seem like they weren't that bad.” He said, but was met by a pout. “I mean, I knew they didn't have it easy… I guess it was because I didn't know them that well.”

 

“When they first got married and moved into their house, some townspeople actually burned up their crop field.” Ai started. “Nagisa was harassed by Alphas. Rei couldn't buy or sell anything at any stall in the market. He barely managed to be part of the hunting pack.” The Omega seemed genuinely upset and irritated, which surprised Sousuke. He had no idea he could get like this. “And, neither of their parents try to help more than necessary. They live a very difficult life.”

 

“Then why did they get married?” Sousuke asked with genuine curiosity. The way Ai stared at him, as if he were stupid, made his stomach roll with anxiety.  _ Was it really that serious? _ He thought to himself while toeing his own boots on. 

 

Ai crossed his arms, still giving Sousuke that  _ look. _ “Because they're in love, Sousuke. Nagisa and Rei made the choice to do this because they wanted to be together.” He started. “Could you imagine not being allowed to marry the person you love? What if it were me? Think for a second: my parents found me someone they liked much better than you. They force me to marry this person despite how much we love each other.” Ai took a step forward, grabbing Sousuke's sleeve. “What would you do?”

 

A moment passed, and a million thoughts rushed through Sousuke's mind. “I'd marry you, even if it was against our parents wishes.” He nodded. “I'd do anything, I think. Your happiness is my priority.” 

 

“There. That's what Rei and Nagisa went through.” Ai told him. “They gave up a lot, just to be together. To them, there was no second thought in this.” He leaned up to nuzzle his Alpha's scent gland before he opened the door to walk onto the porch.

 

“I guess I can see why, now.” Sousuke followed, closing the door tightly behind them. “I'd do the same for you. If something like what happened to Ryuugazaki and Nagisa happened to us, I'd take you to my old village. We could be happy there, since no one judges so harshly back where I'm from.” He explained, taking Ai's hand in his own to keep them warm.

 

“I'd miss everyone here too much.” Ai softly spoke after a quiet moment. “I'd live in poverty if it meant being together with the people I love, and love me.” 

  
“You would?” The Alpha glanced up at the snowing sky, smiling warmly despite the cold flakes of snow falling on his face. “I would too.” He whispered, hand tightening around Ai's. 


	11. Chapter 9

Nagisa opened the front door with a smile, finally getting the chance to see Ai since the wedding. “Come inside! Ai-chan, I have  _ so _ much to ask you!” He said, pulling the Omega into his home.

 

Sousuke followed along, chuckling at the way the two Omegas nuzzled and cooed. “We brought things to make lunch.” He said, breaking their little moment in favor of wanting to put everything he and Ai had bought into the kitchen.

 

“Oh! Ai-chan, you're too good…!” Nagisa whined, pointing towards the kitchen. “Rei-chan is out fishing right now, but I'm so tired of fish…!! Please tell me it's elk or something!”

 

“Bison, actually.” Sousuke said, walking towards the kitchen and setting the meat wrapped in butcher paper and the basket of vegetables onto the counter. The Alpha glanced around the small kitchen, feeling incredibly cramped as he stood practically anywhere inside of it. 

 

Ai pulls Nagisa into the kitchen sits him down at the two-person table. “I'm making lunch for us, so sit and stay put.” The Omega even shooed Sousuke over to sit as well, but only after planting a loving kiss on lips. “Now, you two have to bond a bit. My husband and best friend need to get along or else I won't be happy.”

 

Giggling, the blonde turned to Sousuke and nodded. “So, Sou-chan…”

 

“What?” 

 

“Just let it happen, Sousuke.” Ai said, interrupting then. “Nagisa gives everyone nicknames.”

 

The Alpha slowly nodded, looking from Ai over to Nagisa with a raised eyebrow. “Alright. So, Nagisa. How long have you known Ai?” He asked, crossing his arms on the table top.

 

“Hmm…” Nagisa tilted his head to the side, fist under his chin. “Since he presented. Omegas kinda flock together, since we have more of a “safety in numbers” mindset, unlike Alphas who just have a pack instinct.” 

 

“What does that mean?” Sousuke asked, not sure whether he should feel offended or not by that statement. 

 

“It means that Alphas naturally like to bring anyone close together so they can have a tight-knit and diverse pack with many of all types of people.” Nagisa said. “Omegas prefer to find more Omegas because we're naturally more vulnerable. We do it more as a safety reason than anything else.” 

 

“Oh. Okay, I was expecting something rude from all that. Well, anyways…” Sousuke leaned back in his seat and glanced at Ai, who was slicing pieces of buffalo up. “Did you start of close, or was it a gradual thing?” He asked.

 

“It was like love at first sight!” Nagisa exclaimed cheerfully, and Sousuke felt himself lean back and away from the Omega when he leaned across the table. “I knew that Ai-chan would be my best friend from the second I smelled him! Y'know, some people don't think it's true, but I think that there's a special person out there with a scent perfectly complementary to your own.” Sitting back down, Nagisa grinned over at Ai.

 

“I believe it.” Ai nodded. “Nagisa is like the vanilla to my lavender. We just work together.” He said, and Sousuke smiled at the two of them. “And, he's been pretty much glued to my hip since we met.”

 

The Alpha chuckled and nodded as he glanced from Ai, back to Nagisa. “How about you and Rei? How'd you meet him?” He asked.

 

“Oh, jeez, it's… embarrassing, actually.” The blonde Omega rubbed his neck and blushed as he stared off at a picture hanging on the wall, one of him and Rei. “My dad wanted me to pick something up from the smithy, where Rei used to work. I tripped and almost fell onto some guy working with red-hot metal, which was my Rei-chan!” Nagisa grinned. “He would have gotten really hurt if he didn't turn around when he did, since I probably would have shoved his gorgeous face into that metal.”

 

“Yikes, that sounds terrifying.” Sousuke cringed a bit, having gotten a few burns from his time working as a blacksmith to be able to imagine just how bad it would feel. “So, was that also a live at first sight moment for you?”

 

Nagisa hummed in thought, closing his eyes as he did so. “For me? No, not really. Rei told me later on that he'd been in love with me since the beginning.” He said. “Sure, I  _ liked _ him at first, but I didn't fall in love with him until he started courting me.” 

 

“He doesn't seem like the type who believes in love at first sight, or anything.” Sousuke said with a chuckle. “From what I've seen of him in the pack, Rei seems more driven by facts and logic, and less on instinct. I guess most Betas are like that, though.” He shrugged.

 

“Mhmm, and that's what surprised me most.” Nagisa nodded slowly, a shy smile on his lips. “He's such a good guy. He gave up everything just because he loves me so much.” The Omega sighed dreamily, and Ai giggled from where he stood at the stove.

 

“Feel free to visit us whenever you want, Nagisa. You and Rei are always welcome to stay for dinner, or anything, really.” Ai offered as he flipped the bison chops in the pan before adding a few chopped onions. “Sousuke always brings back a lot, so I think we have it easier than you.” 

 

“Well, I only bring back enough to last us until the end of the week.” Sousuke shrugged. “If we plan to have company, I'll be sure to bring some more back. Besides, I'll need to hunt more if you're pregnant, Ai.” 

 

“ _ Pregnant?”  _ Nagisa gasped and turned to look at Ai, eyes wide and mouth agape. “Since  _ when?!” _

 

“No!  _ No,  _ I am not pregnant. Or, at least I don't know if I am. I'll have to wait until my next heat to find out.” Ai said, frowning a bit. “Sousuke and I just want to prepare just in case.  _ Do not _ start telling people I'm pregnant, Nagisa.”

 

“But…!” Nagisa whined and kicked his legs. “But what if you are? That's so exciting! First Haru-chan, then you! Aww, there's gonna be so many cute pups running around!” He turned to look at Sousuke, a small, yet devilish smirk on his lips. “So, I guess I can safely assume that you're taking good care of my Ai-chan, huh?”

 

Blushing and wide-eyed, Sousuke turned his head to look at Ai. “Uh, well… I, I guess so?” He questioned, still looking at his mate for some sort of agreement to be sure.

 

“ _ Yes, _ Nagisa.” Ai rolled his eyes with a sigh before finally taking the bison off the stove. “Come on, get your food. I made some for Rei, too, once he gets back.” 

 

Nagisa nearly shot out of his seat to go get his food, taking a generous amount of the sides as well before sitting back down to start eating. “This is awesome!” He said around the food in his mouth. 

 

Ai and Sousuke seated themselves as well, after getting their food, and laughed as Nagisa shoveled the food into his face with the best of his ability. “I'm glad you like it. Though, maybe eat a little slower so you don't get a stomach ache.” 

 

The blonde Omega let out an exasperated sigh after swallowing. “Fiiiiiine… it's just so good, and I wanna eat it all right  _ now. _ ” Nagisa groaned, then took a significantly smaller bite of his food.

 

“This is really good, though.” Sousuke told Ai,  then leaned in and kissed his mate's cheek. “Thank you, love.”

 

“Aww.” Nagisa dabbed his lips with a napkin as he watched the couple. “So cute. I wish my hubby was here so I could give him kisses, too.” He sighed, dreamily, before going back to eating.

 

“Sousuke, I don't think you've ever had my cooking before.” Ai said, turning to look at his Alpha. “Aside from that one time I made cookies for our date.” 

 

“Oh, you're right.” Sousuke nodded with a smile. “This is the first actual meal you've made for me. It's lovely, just like you.” The Alpha nudged Ai's shoulder gently, making the boy giggle.

 

“You're too sweet.” Ai leaned in, kissing Sousuke when he met him halfway. “You’ll be eating a lot more of my cooking from now on, though.”

 

The three ate and conversed around their food, before their plates were clean and Nagisa was resting on the couch and nearing a food coma. 

 

“Hey,” Ai poked his friend's cheek with a giggle. “Sousuke and I are heading back home. I put away the leftovers, so don't forget to tell Rei about them when he gets back home.” 

 

“Got it, got it.” Nagisa gave the other Omega a thumbs up, and waved as he craned his head to watch the couple walk out the door. “Thank you again, Ai-chan! It was great!”

 

“No worries. Sleep well, Nagisa.” Ai blew him a kiss, before the door was shutting behind them.

 

Nagisa laid on the couch, his stomach full and his brain ready to turn off for the rest of the night. He closed his eyes, and good hour must have gone by because when he opened them again, his loving husband was walking through the door. 

 

“Sleeping in places not meant for sleeping, I see.” Rei laughed as he hung his jacket up and moved to take off his boots. “How've you been today?”

 

“Good.” Nagisa rubbed his eyes to rid them of his sleep. “Ai-chan and Sousuke came by and made food for us, so I was sleeping because I ate too much.” He laughed, sitting up and stretching his arms out for a hug. “There's leftovers, too. Ai made a lot, and it's  _ sooooooo  _ good.”

 

Rei walked over to Nagisa, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek. “Food sounds great right now.” He sighed, happily, and lifted Nagisa into his arms to walk to the kitchen. “I got some good stuff today, though. I know, fish gets old after a while, but at least we have food stocked up for the week.” He moved his hands down to Nagisa's butt when the Omega wrapped his legs around his hips.

 

“I'm just happy we have any food at all.” Nagisa mumbled into Rei's shoulder. “I love you, Rei-chan.” He held himself against the Beta, even after his hands moved away to get himself a plate of food.

 

“I love you too, Nagisa.” Rei answered, and moved his head to kiss his mate's head. “Mr. Nitori said he wants a few of us to help him set up a booth at the market, instead of just selling everything to another grocer. I think I might see if he'll let me work in the market, as well, since we'll be making part of what we earn at the end of the day.” He felt Nagisa relax against him, and he reached up to pat his back. “I think it'll be good for us, if I get it.”

 

“I hope you do.” Nagisa agreed, sleepily, and kissed the Beta's neck. “I think I'm gonna go to bed, Hun.” The Omega slowly lowered himself onto his feet, but not after giving his mate a warm, loving kiss. “I'll see you upstairs in a bit.”

 

“Mmhm.” Rei nuzzled Nagisa, then watched as his cute, beautiful mate tiredly waddled himself to the stairs. “I love you!” He called.

 

“I love you  _ more!” _ Nagisa answered from the top of the steps.

 

The warm, fuzzy feeling of adoration rose up in Rei's chest at the words. He sat down at the table to eat, but he found himself glancing up to the stairs with every couple of bites. He stood back up, food only half eaten, to cover the plate and rush upstairs to be with his Omega.

 

Nagisa was already conked out, though. Mouth wide open, snoring and drooling as he laid starfished out on the bed. Rei thought he couldn't ever love anyone more. He undressed and hopped in bed, slowly managing to get the blankets untangled from his mate so he could lay beside him, warmly.

  
Several minutes later, Rei felt the warm embrace of Nagisa curling around him, nuzzling his chest. It was nice, and the Beta fell asleep seconds later.


	12. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOO I'm back!!! I know this chapter isn't.... FANTASTIC by any means, but I'm glad I finally cranked something out for this fic after so long!

Sousuke walked inside the house later in the evening. Several weeks had gone by since their wedding, since their first heat together. It was nearing one month and soon, the couple would know if Ai was really pregnant.

 

Ai was lounging on the couch with a book in his hand, flipping a page before glancing up to his mate. “Welcome home, love.” The Omega smiled, setting the novel aside to stand up and greet Sousuke with a kiss on his lips. “How was hunting tonight? You look like you wrested with a bear or something.” He said, reaching up to caress the small scratches on Sousuke's cheek that lead down to his neck.

 

“It was fine, I'd say.” Sousuke spoke, leaning into Ai's touch before beginning to remove his hunting gear. “And, it was actually a puma. Big nasty thing, we've been having issues with it for a few days.” He sighed, kicking off his boots and throwing himself onto the couch, only to have Ai gently climb on top of him, resting on the Alpha's lap. “Love, you know what'll happen if you stay there.” 

 

“Is that a warning, or a threat?” Ai asked, giving a gentle roll of his hips before leaning forward to lay himself on top of his husband. “Why don't you show me, my dear? What exactly will you do?”

 

Sousuke gently ran his hands over Ai's thighs, hiking up the skirt of his pretty lavender dress. “I'll do  _ this _ .” The Alpha smirked once a hand pushed its way under his mate's panties, a finger slipping inside Ai's hole easily. “Have you been feeling frisky, darling? We had sex just the other day.”

 

Ai mewled at the now-familiar intrusion, rocking back against the finger enthusiastically. “ _ Yes. _ ” He gasped, eyes slowly falling shut. “I can't get enough of you, Sousuke. Ever since my heat…!” He let out a quiet moan when Sousuke pushed his finger up against Ai's prostate, before leaning against his mate.

 

“I know, baby.” Sousuke purred, kissing Ai's neck as he gently thrust his finger into the Omega’s warm, velvety heat. “As much as I'd love to take you now, I'm a little sore from hunting. Is my finger going to be enough?”

 

Ai nodded his head against Sousuke's chest, gasping again when his prostate was lovingly caressed. “It's fine,  _ ahh… _ j-just hurry, I need to cum…!”

 

His Omega looked so pretty, Sousuke mused. He pushed in a second finger, thrusting it in and out of Ai quickly, making sure to hit that special spot inside him each time. “I love you, Ai.”

 

“I love y-you, too…!” Ai tilted back a bit, smiling up at Sousuke before he leaned in to press their lips together. The Omega's were soft and warm against his mate's, and it pulled a content sigh out of Sousuke when Ai pulled away. “Hah… _ ah!” _

 

With one last, hard thrust of his fingers, Sousuke had Ai cumming in his panties. The Omega shivered against him, before he relaxed with a nuzzle to his mark on his Alpha's neck. 

 

“Good?” Sousuke asked.

 

“Better than good.”

 

*

*

*

 

Ai stared at the ceiling in his bathroom while he soaked in the warm water, a light hum in his throat. Sousuke always treated him well and made him feel so loved. Even though he worked so hard, until he was exhausted, he  _ still _ found time for his Omega.

 

After their little sexual moment when Sousuke returned home, the two made and ate a nice dinner together. Ai cherished every moment where Sousuke was by his side, especially the ones at home.

 

After his heat had ended, Ai noticed that Sousuke was surprisingly more busy than he originally expected. Sousuke was out before he woke up, and only returned home before dinner. He had down time between hunts, but usually he spent that time eating and napping on one of the cots they kept around the hunting site.

 

He assumed Sousuke pushed his schedule around to make room for Ai in his life, once they began to court.

 

Ai stood from the soapy bath water with a hum, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. He supposed he should do something more than just lazing around the house, for once. Married life, even if it was a short amount of time, had the Omega feeling like he didn't have a lot of responsibility. He liked it, enjoyed that now he had no obligations aside from having pups.

 

And, Lord, Ai would love for his job to be making pups with Sousuke.

 

After drying off and dressing, Ai looked around his and Sousuke's shared bedroom. The space wasn't very messy, by Ai's standards, but he supposed he could stand to clean it up a little bit. 

 

He started by picking up dirty clothes, mostly his own, and tossed them into the hamper. He hung up the washed clothes into the closet, fixed up the bedding, and dusted off the shelves that housed the majority of both Ai and Sousuke's books.

 

Then, he was left with nothing to do.

 

Ai made his way downstairs, looking around at everything. The living room looked fine, all that need be done was move the throw pillows on the couches. The kitchen was… surprisingly clean, as well. The Omega suspected that Sousuke cleaned up after dinner the night before.

 

So, what was Ai to do? Simply go back to sleep? He was wide awake, so there was no way he'd be able to do that. Should he go tend to the farm animals? Usually Sousuke did that as part of his morning routine, so there was no point in doing that.

 

Ai decided that married life was unexpectedly… boring. Boring, so long as Sousuke wasn't around. 

 

But, Ai was determined to find something to do with his time. He threw on his winter boots and jacket, wrapping a scarf around his neck and then pulling his gloves on his hands. The Omega was heading out the door with a hum, and smiled at the sight of all the snow. It was nice, seeing that winter hadn't ended yet.

 

He trudged through the snow, the crunching sound of the frozen tops making Ai giggle a bit each time he stepped through. Sousuke's footprints were still visible, too, and Ai was half tempted to see him at the hunting grounds.

 

But, alas, he would only be a distraction. A single Omega around dozens of Alphas wouldn't exactly make for a good ending. So, Ai headed in the opposite direction. He worked his way down the snow covered street, until he ended up at Haruka's house.

 

The black haired Omega was outside, patting down a rug on the guardrail on his front porch. His deep, blue eyes met Ai's and a small smile worked its way on his lips. 

 

“Ai, I haven't seen you in a while.” Haruka said, once Ai closer. “Go ahead inside, I just made some tea and there should be some left. I'll be right inside in a minute.”

 

“Okay! I'll be waiting, then.” Ai smiled as he opened the door and removed his boots, as well as the rest of his winter garments. He was always amazed by how beautiful and well organized the Tachibana home was. Haruka clearly spent hours of his day cleaning, every day. 

 

The silver haired Omega made his way to the kitchen table, where a single cup and a kettle sat. Ai hummed, glancing at the cabinets and opening each one until he found the cups, before sitting down and pouring himself some tea.

 

He sipped at it, quietly admiring everything in the home. The furniture, the paint, the knickknacks, everything. It was a beautiful house.

 

Haruka walked back in with the rug moments later, and sat it down in front of the door. “Sorry, I just wanted to finish cleaning up.” He said, making his way to the kitchen and sitting across from Ai. “How are you?”

 

“I'm well!” Ai answered, happily. “I'm waiting for my appointment with the doctor to find out if I'm pregnant. My heat is supposed to be coming up soon, and I'm hoping that I'll miss it.” He said, sipping his tea. “I want to start having pups as soon as possible.”

 

Haruka nodded, taking a sip from his own half full cup of tea. “It's nice going longer than a few weeks without a heat.” He said. “I'll be moving onto two months soon, you know. I can't wait for it to be born.” 

 

Ai watched the dreamlike smile pass over Haruka's lips, a crooked smile full of so much hope and joy. “I'm so happy for you, and Makoto.” He said. “You've been trying for so long. You really deserve this.”

 

“Thank you, Ai.” Haruka says, looking up at the Omega as he smoothed a hand over his slowly rounding belly. “So, have you started getting bored being home by yourself all the time?” He asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

 

The younger Omega blushed shamefully, running g the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. “Yes… usually I just read, or sleep, but since Sousuke is gone more often now I feel like I have nothing to do.” He said.

 

“That's normal.” Haruka told him. “I went through it too. That's part of why I wanted pups so badly, so I could have something to constantly need my undivided attention. Cleaning can get done so quickly, so by the time I'm done, I just get bored.” He shrugged.

 

“Oh, thank God… I thought I was just a bad mate.” Ai giggled. “I actually cleaned today, y'know. Which I've probably never done in my life, since my mom always did it for me and Sousuke usually cleans up while I'm sleeping.” He said. “I hope I'm pregnant, so I don't have to do that  _ too _ much longer.”

 

“Don't worry, once you're pregnant you'll be needing a lot more attention from your mate.” Haruka said, sipping at his tea. “Once I'm a few more months along, I'll need Makoto around a lot more. Doctor said I'll more than likely need assistance going up and down stairs, sitting and stand up, and even doing more simple things like cooking.”

 

“Jeez, how big are you gonna get?” Ai asked, eyes wide. “That's so… that's so much stuff to need help with. Is Makoto going to be able to stay away from the pack for that long? Or is it only a couple months?”

 

“I dunno, it just depends.” Haruka shrugged. “I think a lot of it has to do with swelling in the feet, and morning sickness. Which, as my doctor has told me, does not occur exclusively in the morning.” 

 

“Oh, I know I'm definitely not excited for that.” Ai said. “My Mom told me she had it very bad with me, when she was pregnant.” 

 

“So far, I haven't had it.” The older Omega sounded just a bit proud of himself. “I think it'll be coming soon, though. Around the two and three month mark, I think?” He shrugged. “Anyway, would you like to help me make some snacks? I've been craving cookies a lot these last few days.” 

 

“Sure! I'd love to help!” Ai grinned, standing up and following Haruka to the kitchen. “Oh, that's something I can do while Sousuke isn't home! I can just make a bunch of snacks every day! I think he'll like that, right?” He said, clapping his hands together.

 

“Oh, I'm making these for myself. Mostly. I'll share some with you, though.” Haruka told Ai as he grabbed the cookie sheets and flour. “Makoto isn't getting any.”

 

Ai tilted his head to the side, eyebrow raised. “Did he lose his cookie privileges or something?”

 

“No. I just really want some cookies, and they'll be gone before Makoto comes home.” Haruka replied, his face straight and unmoving as always. Part of that just made the exchange so much funnier to Ai.

 

“Well, anyway, what kind of cookies are we going to make?” The shorter one asked, watching as Haruka grabbed the rest of the necessary ingredients. “Chocolate chip?”

 

“I really want chocolate and peanut butter.” Haruka said, grabbing a small jar from his pantry and looking it over, before setting it onto the counter. 

 

“Ohh, that sounds good!” Ai beamed, grabbing the bowl and beginning to pour some of the four into it. “So, do you have a block of chocolate we can shave?”

 

Nodding, Haruka turned and opened the pantry. He held up two sizeable blocks of chocolate in his hands, one dark and the other one milk. “Would it be bad if I wanted to use both of these?” He asked.

 

Ai shook his head, finally adding the last of the dry ingredients in. “Nope, that's not bad at all. Nothing wrong with wanting chocolate, Haruka.” He smiled, taking both of the blocks from his friend and unwrapping them.

 

“Make the chunks big.” Haruka told him, as he leaned to watch Ai chop up the chocolate. “Yeah, those are perfect. Ai, you've always been really good at making dessert foods.”

 

“We haven't even put it in the oven yet.” Ai laughed, scooping the chocolate into his hands and tossing them in the bowl. “But, thank you. My Mama taught me well.” He said.

 

After a couple more minutes of deciding how much peanut butter was  _ too much  _ peanut butter, the Omegas then got to mixing. After mixing, the batter got placed onto a cookie sheet, and said cookie sheet was then placed into the oven.

 

Haruka kneeled down to watch the cookies bake for a moment, before standing back up and going to join Ai at the table, where they're tea still sat. “I've started having some cravings lately. I'm glad they're not anything weird or extreme.” He chuckled.

 

Ai giggled as well, his cup of tea in hand. “My Mom told me that there was a time where she'd make eggs with rice and melted chocolate when she was pregnant with me.” He made a face, sticking out his tongue. “Sounds so gross!”

 

“That… actually sounds a little good.” Haruka pouted. “I'll wait until you leave to try it. I think I'm mostly just craving chocolate more than anything.” He said.

 

“Thank God, I don't know if I could actually watch someone eat that in real life.” Ai laughed.

 

The two spiralled into a conversation about food, weird combinations of anything and everything that they could think of. Half of what was said as a joke, ended up piquing Haruka's interest.

 

But, after only a few short minutes of talking, there was a knock on Haruka's door. “Oh, excuse me for a second.” The Omega said, standing up and walking to the door. 

 

Upon opening it, Haruka then saw a short, little Nagisa, grinning up at him. “Oh, I wasn't expecting you to drop by today.” He laughed.

 

“Well, here I am!” Nagisa chimed, stepping inside before removing his winter clothes and boots. “Ai-chan!!” He exclaimed happily as he ran to the table.

 

“Hi, Nagisa!” Ai smiled, his arms extended to welcome the hug he knew would be coming as the blonde bounded towards him. “How are you, and Rei? Is work with my Dad going well for him?”

 

Nagisa nodded, sitting down after he squeezed Ai enough to be satisfied. “Yep! Rei-chan has been selling some fish lately so we actually have more than just salmon and mackerel to eat.”

 

“There's absolutely nothing wrong with eating mackerel every day.” Haruka said, sitting down with a pout.

 

“I don't even like fish, Haru-chan!!” Nagisa whined. “Anyway! I think people are starting to pity me, since when I go to the market a couple vendors started giving me some extra produce and don't even charge me for it.” He said. “I'm glad, but also I wish they'd just understand that I love Rei-chan and he loves me and there's nothing to pity!” 

 

Ai patted Nagisa's shoulder, sighing softly. “I know, but sadly a lot of people don't think the same way we do. All that matters is that you have each other and a bunch of friends who understand and love you too.” He smiled.

 

Nodding, Nagisa leaned forward and rested his head on the table. “It's just frustrating!” He whined. “Life is so hard, y'know?”

 

“We know, Nagisa.” Haruka said, running a hand over the blonde’s back. “Hey, we just put some cookies in the oven not too long ago, so do you want some?” He asked.

 

“Yes!” Nagisa beamed widely, sitting up and looking straight at Haruka. “What kind?”

 

“Double chocolate and peanut butter.” Ai answered, giggling a bit as he stood and walked to the oven, peeking inside. “They should only be a couple more minutes, but they still have to cool after we take then out.”

 

“Waiting for cookies to cool down is for weak people.” Nagisa said. “You have to eat it while it's still piping hot and fresh out of the oven!” 

 

“No, that's how you burn your mouth, and then you can't taste anything.” Haruka countered, smiling at Nagisa.

 

“You both still have to wait at least five more minutes anyway.” Ai said with a laugh, seating himself back down with his friends.

 

The three chatted for awhile, Ai getting up to remove the cookies from the oven before returning to his friends while they cooled. They talked about life, trying to catch up since they last all saw each other. Nagisa was ecstatic that Ai was nearing the time where he'd find out if he was pregnant, whining about wanting to be the godmother.

 

Once a few more minutes went by, the three began downing the cookies. Nagisa and Haruka ate with not a care in the world, while Ai laughed and hardly managed to finish even his first one.

 

The day went by quickly. The three didn't often get to see each other since Ai had gotten married, but he planned on changing that. Soon, Ai decided, they'd be back to their group picnics again. Once noon came around, Nagisa and Ai had gotten up and bid their farewells to Haruka, who still had cookies being stuffed into his mouth.

 

Nagisa and Ai parted just down the road, a smile on their lips as they waved goodbye.

 

Ai wandered into his home with a smile, taking off his boots and jacket before he flopped onto his couch. He closed his eyes, humming happily as he smelled lunch cooking from the other room. He wondered, briefly, when Sousuke had arrived back home.

 

He heard the heavy footfalls come near him, but Ai kept his eyes shut and only smiled. He felt a pair of lips, cracked from the winter cold, on his cheek before a blanket was placed on him. “Sleep well, love. I'll wake you up when lunch is done.” Sousuke said, softly, before his presence disappeared.

 

Ai focused on his mate's lingering scent. Musk and bonfire, so strong and yet so soothing. Ai imagined Sousuke running his hands along his body, imagined his mouth on his own and various other places that Ai loved feeling those lips against. 

  
Ai dozed off then, the image of Sousuke loving him gently on his mind the entire time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIND ME ON MY WRITING BLOG AT SOUAIS.TUMBLR.COM !!!   
> My main blog is now tigatrons.tumblr.com (formerly ghoulishken!)

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions about the story, setting, etc, please leave a comment and I will answer to the best of my ability :)


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